Windows 7: Someone leaked some 7 Retail Prices?! Real or Fake?

While keeping a watch for things other then BestBuy or retail chain specials one article came out on the supposed lower retail prices to be seen with 7 when out later on 10/22/2009. Note the following:

Microsoft has just announced the editions or SKUs that will be available for sales and purchase for Windows 7, without any official pricing details yet. But, a German website has leaked the non-binding Windows 7 price recommendations for dealers and OEMs. Note that the news is not verified, and from the many wrong information about features for each editions of Windows 7 presented in the article, it’s likely that the Windows 7 price list is fake or wrong too.

The Microsoft recommended retail price for various editions of Windows 7:

Windows 7 Starter Edition: USD $199.95
Windows 7 Home Premium Edition: USD $259.95
Windows 7 Professional Edition: USD $299.95
Windows 7 Ultimate Edition: USD $319.95

Lacking is the pricing details for version of Windows 7 where Microsoft is expected to even allow Windows XP to upgrade to Windows 7, and price for Windows 7 sold via OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or System Builder, which meant for new PC but has considerably lower price tag.
If the pricing of Windows 7 is valid as above, Windows 7 will have the similar price with Windows Vista after its price drop after a year into launching. However, it’s still considerably cheaper when comparing with price of Windows Vista on initial launch time."
Windows 7 Pricing Details (Price for Various Editions) Leaked » My Digital Life

Lately the retail price for Vista Ultimate was found to be $319.95 when priced at Microsoft's online store. But it wouldn't be any great surprize to see 7 also lowered to that same price range according to one article earlier this month.

"Analysis: Microsoft could cut Windows 7 list price to $100
Calculations based on Feb. 2008 Vista price cuts

Gregg Keizer 09 June, 2009 10:26
Tags: Windows 7, Microsoft

Microsoft could drop the price of Windows 7 to around US$100 when it announces retail prices later this month, according to calculations based on an earlier Vista cost-cutting move.
Although Microsoft is not expected to go public with Windows 7 retail prices until next week, if it drops them by the same percentages it did in February 2008 when it cut U.S. prices for three editions of Vista, the upgrade to Windows 7 Home Vista could be $106.
If it does cut prices, Microsoft's motivations could range from a recognition of the recession's impact on consumers to a desire to move as many users as possible to Windows 7 -- which has been generally praised by reviewers -- to stem defections to other platforms, such as Apple's Mac OS X.
In that Vista price cut, Microsoft dropped the list prices of Vista Home Premium Upgrade, Vista Ultimate and Vista Ultimate Upgrade in the U.S. by 18.8%, 20% and 15.4%, respectively.
Vista Home Premium Upgrade, which had been priced at $159, fell to $129 in February 2008. Vista Ultimate Upgrade, meanwhile, dropped from $260 to $220. In other markets, such as the U.K. and the European Union, prices fell even more: Home Premium Upgrade was slashed by 46% in the EU.
Using the 2008 percentage price cuts for Ultimate as the basis for further reductions would put Windows 7 Ultimate at $256 and Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade at $186.
Those calculations, however, present problems with the pricing of Windows 7's other edition, dubbed Professional, the replacement for Vista Business in the line-up. Microsoft has been adamant that each version of Windows 7 will be a superset of the one immediately lower on the price/feature ladder. Such a strategy would hint at prices set accordingly; in other words, Business would be priced higher than Home Premium but lower than Ultimate. Because Microsoft declined to cut the U.S. prices of Vista Business or Vista Business Upgrade, however, relying on the 2008 decreases means that, by Computerworld's calculations, Windows 7 Professional would remain at $300 and Windows 7 Professional Upgrade at $200. That's unlikely, given that those numbers would price Professional higher than Ultimate."
Analysis: Microsoft could cut Windows 7 list price to $100 - Microsoft, Windows 7 - Computerworld

that's not funny i HOPE that it's fake.

When checking up on the latest Vista retail price for the Ultimate edition that was found with the $80 price drop from the original $399.95. Generally MS keeps their present versions for sale at the same price which is good for 7 instead of seeing the $400 tag being new.

The thing to know about retail over oem purchases is seeing both the 32bit and 64bit disks included together in one retail box compared to buying oem for a single disk. The two disks of the same edition share the same product key.

When you go out and price the Vista Ultimate retail edition for example you'll find the prices a bit lower then the suggested retail price for the same. While the suggested is seen for $319.95 for Vista Ultimate with SP1 have a look at the $249.99 tag seen at Newegg.com - Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate SP1 - Operating Systems

Those prices were already proven fake.

106$ for Home Premium? Damn cheap! Hell yeah. I hope it's true!

where you see that? Night Hawk says $260 ... where'd $106 come from?

The pricing thing from the German website appears to have been dated February 7 (or earlier) and was since supposedly proven incorrect and retracted.

http://www.mydigitallife.info/2009/0...itions-leaked/

I'd be much more likely to trust the recent supposed Best Buy upgrade pricing leak, also keeping in mind it's a pre-sale so likely discounted a bit from full retail expected at October release.

Nothing is written in stone until you see the prices actually listed at MS like those for Vista are now.

Vista's current suggested retail seen at MS:

Ultimate Full version $319.95/Upgrade $219.95 http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win.../ultimate.aspx

Business Full version $299.95/Upgrade $199.95 Windows Vista Business with Encrypting File System

Home Premium Full version $259.95/Upgrade $129.95 Windows Vista Home Premium with Windows Photo Gallery

Basic Full version $199.95/Upgrade $99.95 Compare Editions Windows Vista Home Basic

If MS matches 7 to Vista's that's what you have to expect for the full retail prices seen on the shelves of retail outlets with the exceptions of promotional offers like BestBuy for drawing in business which in turn sells the premade systems and accessories they carry.

As you known online vendors usually price things a bit lower once something has been out for some time.

Misread. 106$ for home premium upgrade.

this isnt news. It has already been discussed here: Are you going to buy Win7 at these Prices

Those prices make me sad. Hope Microsoft considers the price of OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard and drops their price severely.

Holo88, lovin' the Gundam picture =D (0079 ftw)