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venu venu
 
M$1 July 01, 2009 01:16 PM

Why is Microsoft ignoring India for Windows 7 Pre Order pricing?

Microsoft has not extended its pre-order offer on Windows 7 operating system to India. Given how Microsoft is battling a losing battle in India against pirated Windows versions, doesn't it make sense to provide a 50$ pre-order upgrade price on Windows 7 in India too? Why is Microsoft ignoring this potentially huge market? As it turns out, customers in India will have to shell out 150$ on Windows 7 (upgrade version). No wonder they resort to pirated copies or Ubuntu.
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aleghart aleghart
 
 July 02, 2009 01:04 AM
It's not just India. It's most of the world. The current pre-order offer is in limited markets: USA, Canada, UK, Japan, France, Germany.

Most likely it is a gauge of the markets' willingness to pay/upgrade to Windows 7. After the Vista nightmares, they need to get a feel for how many people will cough up real money.

My guess is that the chosen markets have a more predictable(?) quantity of paid/licensed users. In markets that are rampant with pirating, how could you make a prediction on legal sales?

USA and Japan have the lowest software piracy rates ~20%. The lowest regions are North America (21 percent) and the European Union (35 percent).

In total, the emerging economies around the world account for less than 20% of software sales, and a high rate of piracy.

Here are some country estimates (2006) from BSA and IDC:

USA 21%
Japan 25%
UK 27%
Germany 28%
Canada 34%
France 45%

Mexico 63%
India 71%
Russia 80%
China 82%
Indonesia 85%
Thailand 80%

http://www.bsa.org/upload/idc-findings_summary.pdf

"Pre" pricing
Windows 7 Home Premium
$49.99USD | $64.99CND | ¥7,407 | £49.99 | €49.99Fra+Ger
Windows 7 Professional
$99.99USD | $124.99CND | ¥14,073 | £99.99 | €109.99Fra+Ger

http://www.techtickerblog.com/2009/06/25/microsoft-reveals-windows-7-pricing-details/

India estimated pricing:
Home Premium and Professional ~15-25% less than Vista in India
~25-40% less than US pricing
Home Premium ~Rs. 4,745-5,375 ($99-113USD)
Professional ~Rs. 9,075-10,285 ($190-216USD)
http://www.techtickerblog.com/2009/06/27/windows-7-upgrade-and-other-details-for-the-indian-region/

There are no statements that Microsoft India will not have a program. There are NDAs in effect. So, even if there is a plan is (or is not) in the works, noone can say.

One MVP has commented about India pricing: "We can't say anything atm. Lets wait and watch ;)"
Source(s):
http://www.bsa.org/upload/idc-findings_summary.pdf
http://www.techtickerblog.com/2009/06/25/microsoft-reveals-windows-7-pricin...
http://www.techtickerblog.com/2009/06/27/windows-7-upgrade-and-other-detail...

Asker's Rating:
• Excellent. Thanks Aleghart. The piracy percentage chart is very useful too. :)


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timcadieux timcadieux
 
July 01, 2009 01:22 PM
Maybe it's going to be a partial rollout, if you look on the list of countries in which it's available, India is not the only one left out, about 95% of the world is not *yet* listed on there.

If you're actually in India, why not call the MS helpline and ask the question?

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brian san brian san
 
July 01, 2009 02:31 PM
I may be a bit off base, but from this article, it sounds like Microsoft is planning to focus on "cloud computing" in India. So perhaps that is why they don't offer the discount. (It would undermine the whole "too expensive" concept they have going)

I also seem to remember Microsoft Windows being priced according to market in the past (cheaper stripped down versions for "emerging" markets), so that could also be part of their grand plan.

Microsoft's variable pricing for different markets has always been one of the things I dislike the most.
Source(s):
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/software/0,39044164,62051204,00.htm


Tags: india, microsoft

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