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Exchange Rates Spell High Prices for Windows 7 In the EU

Posted by timothy on from the congratulations-on-choosing-the-executive-version dept.

CWmike writes "European customers will pay up to twice as much for Windows 7 compared with US users, even though the new operating system will ship without a browser in Europe. Some of the money Microsoft stands to make on the European editions of Windows 7 comes from the weak dollar. Last week, for instance, the dollar fell against the euro the most in a month, hitting $1.41 per euro. For example, Windows 7 Professional, the key retail edition for businesses, will sport a price tag of 285 euros, or $400.60, and £189.99, or $313.84, at Saturday's exchange rate. In other words, EU customers will pay twice the $199.99 U.S. price; U.K. buyers will pay 57% more. And depending on your view on bundling IE, Europe's customers will be paying more for less, with Microsoft's decision to yank IE8 from Windows 7 in an effort to head off EU antitrust regulators, who may still force the company to take more drastic measures."

8 of 548 comments (clear)

  1. Fine by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I won't buy it, then.

    Really, fuck US products. I don't need your music, software, cars, or internet.

    In fact, that includes Slas[NO CARRIER]

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    1. Re:Fine by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 5, Funny

      I had the RC the day after release :) I'm very happy with the product, but not £189.99 happy. Especially not if the very same product is £60 - £70 cheaper in the US.

      Or are MS suggesting that it costs that much to spell words like "colour" and "flavour" correctly and swap the primary definition for "Hood" and "Bonnet" around? ;-)

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    2. Re:Fine by ScentCone · · Score: 4, Funny

      $799 = £899

      What country uses A-with-a-hat-on pounds?

      Those of us in the tiny mountainous principality of Asshatteryburg, you insensitive clod!

      It was originally "Hapsburg," but you know what happens when stuff gets written down without a spellchecker over the years.

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  2. News for nerds... by Fross · · Score: 4, Funny

    People actually pay for Windows?

    Wow.

  3. Re:Huh? by L4t3r4lu5 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Globalisation is all about the customer, and their position with regard to the market.

    For an example, take a capital letter L, invert it, and place it next to a lower-case o. The customers is the L. For added realism, put a capital F behind the inverted L and keep adding and deleting a single space between them.

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  4. The same for Linux by Bromskloss · · Score: 5, Funny

    It costs twice as much in Europe as in the USA.

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    1. Re:The same for Linux by Alpha77 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Not if you happen to be Finnish. In that case you need to write it yourself.

  5. Re:Can't rape the willing... by Linzer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Also here in America French is not a language that is regularly spoken.

    I second this. The French I hear spoken here is highly irregular.

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