The Windows 7 Bargain Basement

For those who buy a computer with Windows Vista after June 26th, Windows 7 will be a free upgrade. That also applies to people buying Vista (Business, Home Premium and Ultimate) outright without a computer. This type of promotion happened 3 years ago for XP computers before Vista's release.

Here’s some good news: Windows 7 is on sale, before it’s even for sale. BestBuy indicated that it will offer (from June 26 to July 11) a “pre-sale” on Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade for $49.99 and Windows 7 Professional Upgrade for $99.99. When Windows 7 is released, it will ship directly to customers. I am not sure whether this pre-sale includes current users of the XP operating system. If Microsoft is smart, the “pre-sale” will include both Vista and XP users.

BestBuy is the first retailer to make this guarantee. Most likely, all other retail chains will do the same. Especially when you consider that electronics stores are having a bad year. Windows 7 might actually be the best stimulus package we have seen yet - at least our grandchildren won't have to pay for this one.

If you are thinking about upgrading to Windows 7, read "Assessing Your Computer for Windows 7 Requirements”. If you would like to see an overview of Windows 7, visit Microsoft’s site.