Comments on: Microsoft’s Grinch kills Windows 7 Family Pack

By: this is a joke

this is a joke — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:30:11 +0000

Fcuk Microsoft, this is pathetic. I was going to get thefamily pack, but it was always sold out. Now it’s sold out. It’s a dirty marketing ploy, and I just lost a lot of respect for these guys.

By: Ed Bott

Ed Bott — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:04:57 +0000

Bill, good to hear from you again.

I actually didn’t buy the Family Pack, opting instead for the half-price offer last July (two Home Premium, two Professional). I think the thing that makes this different is that it shouldn’t be thought of as a price cut but rather as a way to fill a distinct consumer need.

By: Bill Wardino

Bill Wardino — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:41:42 +0000

Microsoft’s decision to drop the family pack probably will cause some ill will; the company, however, isn’t unfamiliar with such a circumstance, and I think it will weather it well. Everyone knew the “sale price” wouldn’t last forever. I think it was meant to induce people to buy now, rather than later. In fact, if I recall correctly, Ed, you bought at least one family pack. As the old saying goes, those who linger will languish.

By: John G

John G — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 21:21:43 +0000

Chalk me up as another techie with 4 PCs at home, 3 of which will not be updated to W7. I won one W7 Pro 64x license at my local PC repair shop on launch day so my Vista Machine will be upgraded, but the three XP machines will stay XP now. At $50 each, it was a definite upgrade, but not at $120. Too bad M$.

By: Kevin C

Kevin C — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:50:44 +0000

If your kids are in college and have edu email addresses they can pick up Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional 32 bit or 64 bit for 29 dollars for download only ($13 more to have a physical disk sent). Better hurry this is only until Jan 3rd. http://www.win741.com

By: Andy Kaye

Andy Kaye — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:46:14 +0000

So, how come MS didn’t just make this an available download, like they have with some of their other products? Simple, fast, product-code protected, and no scalpers! Or is that simply too “customer-service-oriented” for them? Oh well!

By: Custom Computers

Custom Computers — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:09:53 +0000

Thanks Ed, you made my day as usual.

Will put our remaining copies on the shelf along with Vista, One Care,Digital Image,Encarta,and all other discontinued product.

Is it any wonder MS total sales are are a declining number?

By: Phil C

Phil C — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:55:37 +0000

So much for my holiday plans for upgrades. My kids are returning home from college with their Vista notebooks. I was planning on updating them to 7 over the break and then using the third license for my own fairly new XP desktop. That’s not going to happen at $120 a pop.

For this family it seems like longterm it will be a loss for Microsoft as the kids will probably now be looking for Apple laptops when they graduate as their point of comparison will be Vista and not 7.

By: Brett Hood

Brett Hood — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 22:02:15 +0000

Ed
I agree this is mean spirited especially so close to Christmas. It would not have hurt for Microsoft to extend it to cover the holiday period. At least this offer is now available in Australia although not sure for how long. Cost for the 3 user Home Premium pack is around AUD$240 so I will be grabbing it while its there.

By: Ed Bott

Ed Bott — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:27:04 +0000

Jam, starting your comment with “you idiots” is a charming way to win friends and influence people.

Not.

By: Michael Pate

Michael Pate — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:25:26 +0000

My father and I have been discussing the move to Windows 7 for the last month or so. We finally decided to make the move on our computers as well as my a couple we were working on (one we were giving to a cousin, another my sister-in-law’s notebook that had a failed hard drive). We quickly discovered the same thing: that family packs are now extremely difficult to come by.

So what does that mean? For us, it means instead of moving all the machines to Windows 7, paying Microsoft a fair sum, and ultimately reducing their headaches, some of them are simply going to be staying on XP. Indefinitely. Maybe Forever.

This is obviously a case when the bean counter side of Microsoft won over the technical side. And the bad will this engenders is worth much more than the few dollars they didn’t get.

By: mark schneider

mark schneider — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 07:22:18 +0000

Brilliant get a great deal promoting your OS and then pull the rug out right before Christmas. I wonder how 1 company can go from being so brilliant at executing the pre-release only to screw up the launch. From the upgrade install debacle to this. Way to screw up a great operating system.

By: ShoresOfDoom

ShoresOfDoom — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:07:44 +0000

I bought a copy of the family pack so I could upgrade my Lenovo S10 and Dell Dimension e520n. It was totally worth the money.

By: Mark C

Mark C — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 00:49:55 +0000

Ed
Saw this at Sam’s (South Florida) yesterday.

Don’t remember price though.
Also saw it on Costco web site.

By: Jam

Jam — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 21:01:08 +0000

You idiots.
When all the hype of the Family Pack came out it stated very clearly that it was just a promotion: i.e.: Time-limited offer” !
Whats all the griping now?.

I bought TWO packs immediately as I knew it would become scarce. I have activated all 3 licences of the one, and the other is for later for some other PCs I am building.

Microsoft’s idea obviously was to get its sales going as a launch.