Slashdot Mirror


Windows 7 To Sell In UK For Half the US Price

An anonymous reader writes "In the UK, a full version of Windows 7 Home Premium is going to cost less than half the price Americans will have to pay, and in fact less than Americans have to pay just for the upgrade-only edition. Full details and prices were published in an article on CNet, in which it was concluded that, at least for the time being, Microsoft is honoring the prices it set for the now-discontinued European version of Win7, which did not contain Internet Explorer 8 and was only available as a full-install edition."

27 of 487 comments (clear)

  1. So, by Philip+K+Dickhead · · Score: 5, Funny

    Do Yanks start ordering from amazon.co.uk?

    --
    "Speaking the Truth in times of universal deceit is a revolutionary act." -- George Orwell
    1. Re:So, by olsmeister · · Score: 5, Funny

      Nope, we can't use the UK version. The mouse buttons are reversed from the way they are here in the States.

    2. Re:So, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny
      The mouse buttons are reversed from the way they are here in the States.

      Yeah, and it's weird the way they call it Win 7 over there when only losers will buy it.

    3. Re:So, by pnevin · · Score: 2, Funny

      No, you're thinking of the Australian version.

    4. Re:So, by Dachannien · · Score: 4, Funny

      I thought Australian meeses had their buttons on the bottom.

    5. Re:So, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I thought Australian meeses had their buttons on the bottom.

      Yeah they do, but 'cause you're on the underneath of the planet and therefore sitting upsidedown at your desk, you can't notice any difference at all. Unless, of course, you take that mouse up to the top.

    6. Re:So, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      The UK version will also only run off of 240V. Unless you plug your computer into your stove outlet in the kitchen or rewire your house, you can't use the UK version in the USA.

    7. Re:So, by tuxgeek · · Score: 3, Funny

      I hear your toilets flush backward ... that counts for something

      --
      "Suppose you were an idiot...and suppose you were a member of Congress...but I repeat myself." Mark Twain
    8. Re:So, by MR.Mic · · Score: 2, Funny

      Counter-Clockwise and up?

    9. Re:So, by pjt33 · · Score: 2, Funny

      This is Slashdot. Next week there'll be a front-page story with someone's journal post of how to make a step-up transformer in order to use the UK version.

    10. Re:So, by itsdapead · · Score: 3, Funny

      The mouse buttons are reversed from the way they are here in the States.

      So, Mac users are OK then...

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
  2. Nicholas Wirth by craznar · · Score: 5, Funny

    This reminds me of a story once told by Nicholas Wirth:

    When he was in Europe - they called him 'Nicholas Wirth', the correct pronunciation.
    When he was in USA - they called him 'Nickles Worth', the incorrect pronunciation.

    He inferred this was because whilst in Europe they called him by name, when in USA they called him by value.

    Well Microsoft seems to have definitely reversed that with this decision.

    --
    EMail: 0110001101100010010000000110001101110010 0110000101111010011011100110000101110010 0010111001100011011011110110
  3. Just checking... by Dan+East · · Score: 5, Funny

    Y'all know that £20 isn't really half as much spending power as $40, right?

    --
    Better known as 318230.
  4. An open letter to Windows marketing team by rennerik · · Score: 5, Funny

    Dear Microsoft,

    I read recently that you have decided to cut Windows 7's price in the UK to about half of what it is here in the US. I don't feel that it does justice to us here in the States, as we're actually getting less value than your UK market.

    Take, for example, all the U's that have been dropped from words. My color is not colour, but yet, I have to pay more for the lack of the U. This is unfair. Has the cost of cutting U's from words taken a sharp climb?

    Perhaps the letter Z is charging too much these days, and I know how that can be. It only makes sparse appearances in words such as localize and marginalize, but despite its rare occurrence, it, much like a has-been movie star, has the gall to demand top billing. Perhaps your royalties payable to this (not)under-appreciated letter raise the costs here in the US.

    Whatever the reasoning, I still find it unfair, and being such a large and powerful corporation, the fact that you can be taken advantage of like this is not only sad, but reprehensible. Use those lawyers of yours and get back at them! Hey, you can even be on the winning end of an anti-trust suit... think of the headlines now: "'Z' Loses Anti-Trust Judgement Thanks to Microsoft". Won't that be good press?

    Sincerely,

    A Concerned Citizen

    PS - This message has been brought to you by the letter 5.

    1. Re:An open letter to Windows marketing team by Fluffeh · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dear Citizen,

      We here at Microsoft take the utmost care when faced with queries such as yours.

      It is a little misunderstanding. While it is true that you aren't getting your full from the vowel U in the American version, we are including the other vowels I&E in it, which do actually not come packaged with the European version.

      I hope you find these two shiny vowels as valuable as we thought you would, and now understand the extra cost of the American version of the product.

      Sincerely,
      A Helpful Customer Servicer

      PS. This message has been brought to you by the number $107.

      --
      Moved to http://soylentnews.org/. You are invited to join us too!
  5. Re:Arbitrage by langelgjm · · Score: 5, Funny

    It relies on advanced authentication mechanism that involves the (potential) user spelling several words: honour, colour, etc. If the user misses any "u", it refuses to activate.

    --
    "Anyone who [rips a CD] is probably engaging in copyright infringement." - David O. Carson
  6. Re:So will it be region locked? by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 5, Funny

    "There are alternatives."

    Arrrr, that thar be matey!

  7. Half of the price by gmuslera · · Score: 2, Funny

    Don't matter a lot. It is still several times its cost, and thousands of times its value.

  8. Re:Good news for others by Tubal-Cain · · Score: 2, Funny

    He never said the VM wouldn't be on an Apple machine...

  9. Re:Arbitrage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    All 8 of you guys get half off! -Stevie B.

  10. Re:So will it be region locked? by lenehey · · Score: 5, Funny

    it's also Not A Viable Option. Really, they should call it "WINAVO"

  11. Effort accounting... by tweewo · · Score: 2, Funny

    Americans pay double; to recover the cost of IE development

  12. Re:Yeah? So? by Shakrai · · Score: 2, Funny

    12 inches in a foot, but 3 feet in a yard - why?

    We prefer to ask "Why not?" ;)

    The only difference between the systems is that one is decimal-friendly and consistent, and another is not.

    That's not true. One was designed by the French and the other was not. That's all most Americans need to hear. I've often thought we should invent our own base ten measurement system and impose it on the rest of the world out of sheer spite ;) If they do make us switch to metric then the least we can do is come up with new names for the measurements. Millifreedom, centifreedom, freedom and kilofreedom sounds like a good replacement for millimeters, centimeters, meters and kilometers. Celsius could be replaced with "Jefferson's" and kilograms with "Franklin's". Still trying to come up with a good wholesome name for liters -- any suggestions?

    --
    I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
    We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
  13. Re:Viral advertising? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Oh, I see your all getting your panties in a bunch when someone else is getting it cheaper!

    What about Australia where I recall reading that Win7 is going to be substantially more expensive than the US (not sure about double, can't recall, but it was significantly more).

    Didn't here boo from you cunts then did we? Except maybe the lame droll about convicts, living upside down etc.

    dickheads...

  14. Re:Good news for others by thePowerOfGrayskull · · Score: 3, Funny

    $29 is for an upgrade from Leopard. Apparently you cannot upgrade straight from Tiger, and it's unlikely to work standalone if that's your idea.

    Only to an insane person would that sentence make a modicum of sense. Or a mac owner. :D

  15. Re:Translating it into English was really cheap! by dbIII · · Score: 2, Funny

    Just remember that "start" stands for "yawl cleeek ere ta doo yaw mommas pewter thangs" and you'll be fine. Getting hold of english textbooks from before Reagan's administration might help.

  16. Re:Arbitrage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Congratulations! You've offered conclusive proof that Slashdot needs a -5, Stubbornly Wrong Obnoxious Dickhead mod.