Dell says Windows 7 price is possible barrier

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    Dell says Windows 7 price is possible barrier


    Posted: 20 May 2009
    More expensive than Vista?

    Windows 7 pricing is potentially an obstacle to Windows 7 adoption for some users, though in just about every other aspect the operating system is beating Vista, according to a Dell marketing executive.

    "If there's one thing that may influence adoption, make things slower or cause customers to pause, it's that generally the ASPs (average selling price) of the operating systems are higher than they were for Vista and XP," Darrel Ward, director of product management for Dell's business client product group, said in a phone interview, referring to the various versions of the Windows 7 operating system that are expected to appear.

    Ward continued. "In tough economic times, I think it's naive to believe that you can increase your prices on average and then still see a stronger swell than if you held prices flat or even lowered them. I can tell you that the licensing tiers at retail are more expensive than they were for Vista."

    In the business market, Windows 7 Professional is expected to be more expensive than Windows Vista Business, the version that Professional is replacing, he said.

    Some schools and smaller businesses may not be early adopters due to price. "Schools and government agencies may not be able to afford (the additional cost). Some of the smaller businesses may not be able to enjoy the software as soon as they'd like," Ward said.

    Pricing aside, Ward said momentum behind Windows 7 is big compared with Vista. "When Vista came out we didn't have the motivation to do the types of services that we're doing now. We didn't have the clear customer demand for such services," he said. "We do have a visible number of customers, large and small, who are actually waiting for Windows 7 and who have already put plans in place to target the transition to Windows 7, they're asking Dell for help. That demand and this opportunity is stronger than it has been in the past," Ward said.

    And Dell is already getting its service organization in gear for Windows 7. "Our professional service organization is beginning to structure service offerings specifically designed to help customers migrate their images, their applications, and their management infrastructure, security capabilities and so forth."

    More than half of Dell's business customers are still using Windows XP and these customers will eventually have to upgrade, according to Ward. "XP cannot live forever," he said.

    To help users migrate from XP to Windows 7, Dell supports the upcoming operating system's XP mode. "It's one of the things that Microsoft is doing that we think is helpful. Putting an instance of XP virtual machine in the higher end SKUs (models). This is another alternative for compatibility. We'll fully support that in our product and consulting services." he said.

    Driver readiness is good, with some exceptions. "Driver readiness--it looks pretty healthy compared to the past. (There are) some things that haven't been worked out. The WHQL (Windows Hardware Quality Lab) drivers for AMT VPRO is a little behind," he said, referring to Intel's Active Management Technology, which allows remote access to PCs for security, maintenance, and management.

    Generally, however, Windows 7 is much further along than Vista was at this stage, he said. "But if you look at the ecosystem enabling for Windows 7, it is much further along that it was at the same time for Vista," he said.
    Dell says Windows 7 price is possible barrier | Nanotech - The Circuits Blog - CNET News
    Posted By: garbanzo
    20 May 2009



  1. Posts : 127
    Windows Seven 64-bit
       #1

    More than vista... wow... Hooray for torrents.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 990
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
       #2

    My license plate
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Dell says Windows 7 price is possible barrier-ih8dell.png  
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 127
    Windows Seven 64-bit
       #3

    GaSp!
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 488
    Win 7 Pro x64 x 3, Win 7 Pro x86, Ubuntu 9.04
       #4

    Compaker said:
    More than vista... wow... Hooray for torrents.
    I love torrents for the all the pre-release, but I'll be paying for the OS when released.
      My Computer


  5. Posts : 1
    7 RC1
       #5

    Well Dell would say that, wouldn't they. They are hardly going to say that it would is better value to buy a retail copy than to have it bundled with some of their nice new hardware.

    Bob
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 201
    Windows 7 RTM x86/x64
       #6

    Dell might have to bundle in more bloatware to keep their profits stable.
      My Computer


  7. Posts : 26
    Windows 7 Home Premium x64
       #7

    OMFG More expensive than Vista?

    If this is the case, then back to vista (or even linux) it will be come March 2010!!

    vista was grossly overpriced, and i wont be paying that kind of money for an OS again!
      My Computer


  8. Posts : 358
    windows 7 HP 64bit
       #8

    Compaker said:
    More than vista... wow... Hooray for torrents.
    LOL.

    I would be too scared to have said that but i know a lot of people will be thinking it.

    Ill be holding off until next year, hopefully it will be easier to get hold of.
      My Computer


  9. Posts : 4,925
    Windows 7 Professional 64-bit
       #9

    I completely agree with Dell. Pricing is key to the uptake. Surely the lower the price the more people buy it the more money you make out of it. Both Microsoft and Adobe seem to fail to spot this.
      My Computer


 
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