Microsoft shock drops Windows 7 discount

[DaBees-Knees]

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=119367

Microsoft has unexpectedly withdrawn its promotional pricing for Windows 7 - the software giant's latest desktop and laptop PC operating system - after demand so strong that its online store apparently crashed. The online UK Microsoft Store now states "Promotional pricing no longer available".

Conspiracy theorists are sure now to question the supposed crash, hinting that Microsoft merely wanted to stop orders at the low rate.

Microsoft had been selling Windows 7 at Windows 7 Home Premium in the UK for £49.99, a 67% discount from the list price of £149.99, and selling Professional for £99.99, 55% under the usual £219.99. Prices have now increased to £79.99 for Windows 7 Home Premium, £189.99 for Windows 7 Professional, and £199.99 for Windows 7 Ultimate.

Microsoft Windows 7 will be released on October 22, 2009.

At the initial discounted rate the Amazon UK store claimed that it had sold more copies of Windows 7 in the sale's first eight hours than it did in the 17-week run of a similar pre-order offer in 2006 for Windows Vista.

UK vendors taking part in the promotion were Amazon.co.uk, Argos, Comet, Currys, Dixons, Ebuyer.com, John Lewis Partnership, Littlewoods, Micro Anvika, PC World, Play.com, Staples and Tesco.

Amazon has fallen in line with Microsoft's new pricing, but Dixons remains at the lower rate. Its website states that the offer "will end August 9, 2009, or while supplies last".

European customers will receive Windows 7 in special editions, dubbed 'E' for 'Europe', that have been stripped of Internet Explorer 8 (IE8). A month ago, Microsoft decided to remove IE8 from Windows 7 in an effort to head off EU antitrust regulators, who may still force the company to take more drastic measures

It didn't take Microsoft long to get greedy again. 

[Cobra]

I personally don't see this situation as greed (well, not entirely).

Sure, Microsoft charges a lot, but people still buy anyway, so the demand is there reguardless of the price. Consider, however, that any time that popular stores (real ones) in a heavily populated areas slash their prices by crazy amounts like 67%, mobs of people show up and just about kill each other for the bargains as small as $1 for a $3 item (meaning they could have afforded the 3 dollars easily beforehand yet still go crazy over the sale price).

I don't see why this would be any different online since no site can withstand unlimited amounts of simultaneous traffic and sites do receive more bottlenecked traffic at times like these. Raise the price again, fewer people will be rushing in to buy and the site can once again stay up and running. Microsoft is happy, the website is happy, and still people buy anyway.

[DaBees-Knees]

My point being that Microsoft have always over charged. Their level of profit over the years proves my point. I have no objection to a fair profit for any company, but the level that MS has maintained is obscene.

[Pri]

I got my retail copy for £44 at Amazon.com so I'm happy

[ñòóKýçrÕôK]

If you thnk about it's a very smart move however typical it might be. Say I'm Billy and I really want to sell this OS and yeah at discounted rates it's goin like hotcakes. BUT, it isn't going fast enough to make me(Billy) happy. "Oh we had to jack the price up cause you guys are killin our servers." . Although this looks like them going for more cash cause it's successfull they want more and are most likely thinking in the line of, "if we raise the price up now we can probably make users go for the (get it while it's hot!) side of it and people will rush faster to try n get it before we "raise" the price up again. It's a very smart tactical sales move is all. Least that's my thinking.