Microsoft accidentally listed the pricing of the high-end
consumer versions of Windows Vista on its Canadian Web site.
The Neowin.net blog reported Monday that Microsoft.com Canada posted a price
list for Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista Home Premium, but the page
was pulled from the Web site soon after news of pricing leaked.
According to Neowin.net, list quoted the price for Windows Vista Ultimate as
C$499 (US$450.18), while Home Premium will be C$299 (US$269.71). An upgrade to
Vista Ultimate will cost C$299 (US$269.71), while an upgrade to Home Premium
will cost C$199 (US$179.51), according to the blog.
(http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=34770)
In a statement through its public relations firm, Microsoft acknowledged Monday
that it "inadvertently" posted Windows Vista Canadian retail prices on its Web
site, but then removed the information. The company plans to reveal the
official U.S. pricing for Vista when it makes available the first release
candidate of Vista sometime before the end of September, Microsoft said.
Windows Vista Ultimate is a new edition of Windows that includes all of the
multimedia capabilities currently available in Windows XP Media Center Edition,
as well as a new 3D graphical user interface called Aero and security features
that make it a good fit for small businesses as well, according to Microsoft.
Currently, Windows XP Media Center Edition retails for about US$320 or more per
copy, so it's no surprise Windows Vista Ultimate will be more expensive than
the highest-end consumer version currently available.
Windows Vista Home Premium also will include Windows XP Media Center Edition's
multimedia functionality, as well as the Aero interface. If the Canadian
pricing of the OS is akin to what the U.S. pricing will be, it might be a
better deal than the comparable version of Windows XP now available.
Microsoft has said it plans to urge customers to purchase premium versions of
Vista in favor of Windows Vista Home Basic, the entry-level version for U.S.
consumers.
At the company's annual Financial Analyst Meeting last month, Kevin Johnson,
co-president of Microsoft's Platforms & Services Division, said business users
tend to buy the "premium" versions of Windows -- which both Windows Vista
Ultimate and Home Premium will fall into -- more than home users do. However,
the company hopes that will change once Vista is available.
