Microsoft Pulls Plug on Windows 7 Family Pack
Looks like there won't be a focus on family throughout this holiday season.
Family packs of operating system licenses are great products. Apple started the trend with its family pack, which seeks to ensure that five-users around a Mac-using household are all running the latest operating system. Thankfully, Microsoft finally followed suit with Windows 7, offering a family pack that contained three licenses of Home Premium Upgrade.
Family packs are great as most households have more than one computer, and having everyone running the same, latest version of software generally makes things easier.
Sadly, for reasons that still confuse, Microsoft is pulling the plug on the Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade family pack. Paul Thurrott reports that the family pack has apparently sold out in the U.S. Thurrott was told by Microsoft that the family pack would be a limited-time offer in the U.S., Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
Ed Bott reached out to Microsoft for a comment of his own, and he received the response, "The Windows 7 Family Pack was introduced as a limited time offer while supplies last in select geographies. Response has been very positive and in some cases, the offer has sold out. Customers interested in upgrading their PCs should purchase Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate upgrade products."
Microsoft allowing the Windows 7 family packs to dry up just six weeks following the OS's launch seems like a move made a bit too soon and rash. We'd like to see the family pack stick around indefinitely, as it's a good option for consumers and will speed up adoption of the new OS – something that Microsoft definitely wants. Now we're all just left scratching our heads at what Microsoft could be thinking in its move to end this offer just weeks before Christmas.
As a side note, those of you in Australia will have a bit longer, as Microsoft just launched family pack last week.
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Big deal. Why wasn't a family pack of standard installs offered? That I would've gladly bought. With this family pack, I'd have to buy Vista, then upgrade to Win7? End up costing around $1100 to use all 3 licenses.
figures
Goodbye family pack, hello piracy...
Figures
i knew it was too good to last long! >_>
Ok, so I will use bittorrent then. Good job.
This is disappointing to say the least. I just finished a build for my parents, and I'm planning a new one for myself in January. I even had everything on a wishlist...
What an utter fail this is.
Let me see, not enough profit or is it fear of piracy with the licensing scheme? My guess, a little of both.
If 80% of my business came from 90%+ consumers who use my operating system, I would want to capitalize on profits too! lol
Too good deal to customers I supose... This is the worst part of having monopoly in OS front...
I really hope that they would not cut this family pack deal. It was a good option to any family with many computers.
I was looking forward to purchasing a Win7 family pack for my main pc and a couple older pcs. Blah.
Apple still and will keep OS X Family packs. I do not have a Apple computer right now but did have one for years, wrote my second book on a old Powerbook G4, use Linux now.
OS X is the best consumer OS out there. The ease of use, better than Windows. Then you have the safety and security of Unix/Linux.
Now flame me MS Fanboys, I can take it for I speak truth.
My advice, don't be too hasty. Who knows what's cooking, maybe MS just lowers the price all together? I have 5 PCs, and would like to upgrade them all. Or maybe just 2 PCs. Or, how about an increasing percentage discount for each additional license sold? That would even make more sense.
The news graps for stories and the reporting is like tabloids these days. All sensational rap really.
Sold out............lol.
Sadly, for reasons that still confuse, Microsoft didn't pull the plug on Windows Vista when release.
You don't have the safety or security of Unix/Linux... are you quoting some other idiot, or did you make that up yourself?
Looks like Balmer wants a new car...
I'm glad I jumped on it when I did; this really sucks though. I knew a few people that were going to buy the family pack per my advice, and now they are S.O.L.
It was the same thing with the $49.99 home premium upgrade preorder sale that lasted, what, a week? B.S.
AWE!!! THAT SUCKS I WISH I WOULD HAVE KNOWEN THAT!!!#@$%^*(*&^@%#$%@%^@
Weird move. If its selling, why did they stop supplying.
Tom's is always just a little behind on reporting in software news: http://www.betanews.com/article/Mi [...] 1260214876
On that note, Betanews is behind in their hardware reporting regarding Larabee. I guess it makes sense for hardware and software sites to work that way though...
This was an UPGRADE Pack. Meaning you HAD TO HAVE VISTA for it to work.
Bad move by MS? Not really considering people are desperate to jump off Vista anyway.
what about full version 3 pack, is that still out there?
Weird move. If its selling, why did they stop supplying.
Greed.
Keep them cheap - or else we'll keep on torrenting. Greedy bastards!
That was NOT My Idea, Microsoft!
If I was to guess, the thinking behind this was now that they have windows 7 growing in market share and a few households upgraded, they can use word of mouth advertising to a greater extent. If the family down the street is saying how amazing, safe, and easy to use windows 7 is, then before you know it the rest of the block is looking to upgrade, regardless if they can get the family back or buy individual ones.
Now whether or not that actually happens is up in the air, but I'm assuming that's what MS is going for.
Guess since so many people are buying and the family pack is cheaper... Make people pay more for all 3 is the best bet.
I mean if a couple of friends want to all upgrade they could all just buy a family pack and share huh? More profits off of single units.. Figures anyway.
I was waiting on a retail edition family pack cuz I don't do upgrades. Guess I'll try linux again
I'm running.. a Server 2008 media server, Server 2003 file server, old XP box, a laptop with Vista, main box running Windows 7, and even have an old box rarely up with Windows 3.1/DOS 6.20.
No redundancy at all. What's that they say about variety?
Actually.. I think it should be about garage sale time anyway.
Looks like it was driven the pursuit of the almighty $$$. Mac makes their money on the hardware, not the OS. Want an upgrade? Sorry no family pack for you! Full retail for all of your machines. Merry Christmas from Micro$oft!