Vista Retail Pricing, Incentives

With the consumer launch of Windows Vista on Jan. 30, 2007, Microsoft will introduce three initiatives to make it easier for consumers to buy and upgrade the OS. Consumers will be able to upgrade from one edition of Vista to a higher one simply by purchasing a digital key online, and consumers who purchase Vista Ultimate at retail will get a discount on other retail copies of the OS. Lastly, Microsoft will sell and distribute Vista directly over the Web, making it the first OS that the company will sell online. (For suggested retail prices, see the chart “Vista Retail and WAU Pricing“.)

Windows Anytime Upgrade

With the Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) program, consumers will be able to upgrade to a new edition of Vista by selecting the Windows Upgrade Anywhere option from the Start menu and choosing the upgrade option; after the transaction is completed, consumers will be able to download a digital key for the upgrade. The program could encourage consumers to upgrade to higher-priced editions of Vista after their initial purchase.