In a poll conducted here at neowin.net, many members found the proposed pricing of Windows Vista Ultimate which is rumored to cost $450 at the launch early next year too pricey. At the time of posting, 442 of a total of 1388 votes found $299 a fair price, while 861 found it a better idea to pick it up on the street for 10 bucks.
With todays PC buyers concerned about having to upgrade in order to run newer versions of Windows, its becoming all too easy to pick up a budget PC for under $450 that is quite capable of running all the enhancements included in Vista Ultimate, like Aero Glass and Media Center.
Microsoft have already disclosed that it will be possible to upgrade the Vista license from within Windows using Windows Anytime Upgrade, but it"s still unclear if the upgrade will be PC specific, or if it can be used on a new PC should a user replace an outdated machine. Our source at Microsoft; during the Vista lab in the beginning of June said that "those concerns are still under investigation" and that it"s not yet possible to transfer an upgrade license to another PC.
Microsoft have launched an army of tools to combat piracy of their flagship OS, such as Windows Genuine Advantage and crippling the system if it can"t be verified. One has to wonder if these tools actually do work. However, they will get better sales thus allowing for a significant price drop.
Time will tell if Microsoft has chosen the correct way to go on Vista license costs, judging from our poll there will be quite a few who will need convincing that Windows Vista Ultimate is going to be worth it.