QOTD: Is Win7 Anytime Upgrade a Good Idea?

By Marcus Yam
published

Upgrade yours in a box!

Today we heard confirmation from Microsoft that it will be offering Anytime Upgrades at retail for consumers looking to move from one edition of Windows 7 to the next. (See this story for more on the box art mock ups.)

Although it will give retailers yet another SKU to deal with, offering an upgrade scheme at retail could potentially be a good thing for new PC buyers.

When Windows Vista released, some users were very disappointed (to the point of taking legal action) that not all PCs were able to take advantage of all the new features of Vista, such as the Aero interface. That won’t be a problem that Windows 7 will have to deal with, at least not on the hardware side.

On the software side, there still will still undoubtedly be some confusion as to what the differences are between all the various editions of Windows 7, but at least now a consumer (especially those who prefer to buy things tangibly) who isn’t happy with the lack of Aero on their netbook can go into the store and purchase a box that will enable it for him.

So, with that in mind, we want to know what you think.

The question of the day is: Do you think Windows 7 Anytime Upgrades at retail are a good idea?

Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam
Marcus Yam served as Tom's Hardware News Director during 2008-2014. He entered tech media in the late 90s and fondly remembers the days when an overclocked Celeron 300A and Voodoo2 SLI comprised a gaming rig with the ultimate street cred.
43 Comments Comment from the forums
  • ricardok
    I still prefer a fully fledge version only, changes only for servers, and W7 should just give the user the choice to disable some features to improve speed.
    Reply
  • leafblower29
    I'm sure this will be easy to crack.
    Reply
  • B-Unit
    RicardoKI still prefer a fully fledge version only, changes only for servers, and W7 should just give the user the choice to disable some features to improve speed.Yea, that would be horrible if Grandma couldn't save $100 for stuff she'll never use. Better that she pay full price and just turn off what she doesn't need.
    Reply
  • Lan
    QOTD: Is Win7 Anytime Upgrade a Good Idea?

    Yes, though there couple things to point out. First, it is unlikely (however useful) that the common user will know how to do something like this. Second, why would they want to spend even more money for an upgrade when they (potentially) just laid down money for the new Operating System, or even a whole new computer?

    So yes, it is definately a good idea, but will users really catch on to the idea...we'll see, I doubt it, but we'll see.
    Reply
  • 08nwsula
    it will save m$ some money in extra materials. maybe that will make it cheaper for the consumer. Maybe not, but I'll be optimistic.
    Reply
  • brad327
    My only problem with this is that it doesn't go far enough. If MS were to offer a barebones version of Windows for like 30 bucks, I would be thrilled. I'm talking about a version that has the basic OS, driver support, and IE. No themes, eyecandy (like Aero), none of the stuff that I can disable using Win 7's "disable these features list" (Media Player, etc.). Then give me a link to a store where I can buy these features as I need them one by one. It may not be realistic, but it's truly a get-what-you-pay-for system.

    I've heard a lot of people say it's terrible that MS is offering "crippled version" of Windows. If you're just doing email and Facebook, you have the option to buy a $30 CPU. Would you then complain that your CPU isn't on par with a Core i7?

    I also don't see a lot of people complaining that they purchased Design Standard, but greedy Adobe didn't give them all of the apps included in the Master Collection as well. Why is it so fun to hate on Microsoft?
    Reply
  • Wayoffbase
    The vast majority of people just need Home Premium. The starter edition for netbooks is confusing things unnecessarily. Consumers that buy netbooks thinking that they are fully functional computers are buying the wrong thing. Starter editions of windows have been around before win7, but they were made for markets where people were expected to have obsolete hardware as the norm, netbooks have brought obsolete hardware to the developed world.
    Reply
  • PLATTERMAN
    It has been just 1 year and a few days since i purchased a new pc with Home Premium Vista 32 bit, a HP D5000T Core 2 Quad Q9450, 4GB ram, 2 DVD drives, added a Blu-ray drive and 2 additional WD 1TB Caviar harddrives, upgraded gpu to a 8800GT from a 8500GT. I am not sure what benefit there would be for me to upgrade to Windows 7. My current software all runs great. Nero 9 full suite, Cyberlink PowerDVD 9 Ultra and AnyDVDHD. I use these 3 a bunch. I would like to get a free upgrade to the equivalent in Windows 7 if all my main 3 mentioned and all the other software hardware i have would work in either 64 or 32 bit. If they can't give a free upgrade i would not change at this time for sure and maybe not even then till it too is established and bugs worked out.
    Reply
  • brendano257
    Home Edition, Business, and Server. The way it SHOULD be. This is all the divisions that are really needed, anything else is just for them to make more money and confusion, even with just those 3 it comes up to 6 because each one has 32/64 bit. Simpler the better. Unfortunately Microsoft would have to cut into their MASSIVE profits to make it better for us....and we all know that would never happen. :)
    Reply
  • ricardok
    B-UnitYea, that would be horrible if Grandma couldn't save $100 for stuff she'll never use. Better that she pay full price and just turn off what she doesn't need.If we had only ONE version, that version would be cheaper than having 5 different ones and than upgrading from one to the other. Remember how easy it was on the days of Windows 3.11? No? Let's try Windows 95? Still nothing? How about Windows 98? 98SE? Still not ringing any bells? Oh, Windows ME!!! That was a great version (sarcasm mode on).. Ok, ok, let's keep it simple than.. 2 versions only (like Windows XP Home/Pro).. Netbooks/Laptops (or slow desktops) and Notebooks/Desktops (for those with better machines) versions.. Better now? ;)

    Keep it simple, don't waste too much energy on several versions and system checks when installing (it costs money to create those codes) and just release something that is good for everyone.. Full price for a couple more games and themes on the Ultimate? No, thanks..

    About starter editions (Windows Vista is the only one I know before 7 to have this version), those who say that the version was created to be used on obsolete hardware are people living on a cave because the starter edition was just a marketing campaign to get "Vista Ready" on several machines that didn't have the 'power' to use Vista, but that same hardware was fine if someone popped a XP Pro on it.
    Reply