Small businesses face Windows 7 upgrade limit while Japan ’sells out’ half-price deal
Businesses planning to buy new computers in bulk may be better off waiting until October. It’s emerged that a Microsoft scheme offering free upgrades to people buying Vista machines this summer has a maximum limit of 25 machines for businesses.
The scheme is designed to prevent would-be computer buyers from delaying purchases in the run-up to a new edition of Windows. As well as individuals, the deal is open to small and medium sized businesses.
With similar schemes for previous editions of Windows, the deal has been limited to five copies of Windows per customer. When Microsoft announced the Windows 7 upgrade scheme, it didn’t mention any limit. However, analysts Gartner note there is a limit this time, albeit increased to 25.
Gartner’s Mark Silver (pictured) says that given these constraints, firms should pressure their hardware suppliers to make an exception to the limit, which some manufacturers have the authority to do. However, if this isn’t a possibility, Gartner advises firms to restrict their new purchases to 25 machines rather than have to pay the full upgrade costs to Windows 7.
Larger businesses shouldn’t be affected by the scheme. Firms with more than 250 Windows computers are covered by volume licensing which has separate deals for upgrades.
Meanwhile Japan appears to have become the first market to hit its limit for reduced price “pay now, get later” upgrades to Windows 7. The scheme allows buyers in six countries to get the upgrade for half-price or less if they paid before a certain date, but there was an unspecified limit on the number of customers who could take up the deal in each country.
Several retailers in Japan have reported that they are no longer able to sell the cheap upgrade, suggesting it may have “sold out” in less than two of the ten days alloted to the promotion. Endgadget’s Japanese site reports the limit in the country as 30,000.
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