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Microsoft ends discounted Windows 7 Family Pack deal (but maybe not for good)

By | December 7, 2009, 7:14am PST

When Microsoft launched its Family Pack deal for Windows 7 this fall, officials said the offer would be a limited-time one. They declined to say when the company would phase out the Family Pack offer, but it now appears that day has come, as first reported by Windows SuperSite blogger Paul Thurrott.

(Microsoft did the same with Vista; the Family Discount deal for Vista Ultimate that it offered back in 2007 was a temporary one.)

The Windows 7 Family Pack allowed users to buy three copies of Windows 7 Home Premium, as of late October, for $149.99 in the U.S. and other select markets. But according to the Microsoft Family Pack Web site, “The Windows 7 Family Pack offer has ended.” (Computerworld says the offer ended on December 1, with availability curtailed a week before.)

Microsoft’s marketing strategy around Windows 7 has been one meant to create excitement and demand. One way to do this is to make discounted offers “for a limited time only.” Hurry up and get it or you’ll lose out! Don’t delay! Buy now! and all that jazz. Ending the promotion just before Christmas smacks of Grinchism, as my blogging colleague Ed Bott noted — a trade-off that might do more harm than good (unless good is measured solely by how many more dollars it helps Microsoft rake in from holiday shoppers).

Here’s one thing to remember, though: Throughout the development of the product, the Windows 7 management also has been emphasizing “we’re listening to our users.” (Examples: Here and here.) So even though Microsoft isn’t saying it plans to resume the promotion, don’t be too surprised if the Softies do an about-face in the coming weeks and decide to offer again for a limited time more copies of the Windows 7 Family Pack. (Especially if enough users threaten to dump Windows for Mac OS X.)

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Topics

Microsoft Corp., Microsoft Windows 7, Microsoft Windows, Operating Systems, Software, Mary Jo Foley

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

Disclosure

Mary-Jo Foley

Freelance journalist/blogger Mary Jo Foley has nothing to disclose. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). I do not own Microsoft stock or stock in any of its partners or competitors. I have no business ventures that are sponsored by/funded by Microsoft or any of its partners or competitors.

Biography

Mary-Jo Foley

Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 25 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She has kept close tabs on Microsoft strategy, products and technologies for the past 10 years. In the late 1990s, she penned the award-winning "At The Evil Empire" column for ZDNet, and more recently the Microsoft Watch blog for Ziff Davis.

Got a tip? Send her an email with your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. Confidentiality guaranteed.

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RE: Microsoft ends discounted Windows 7 Family Pack deal (but maybe not for good)
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 10th Oct
I'm most certainly dissatisfied football shop of diploma of this world-wide-web site. I've absolutely not identified so horrible short article content material, finish not very encouraged!
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Thank you MJ
CustomComputers 7th Dec 2009
"Happy Holidays to you and your readers from Microsoft"

How many more stupid moves can they make in 2009?
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Only Americans are silly enough to think "limited-time" means forever!
andrej770 Updated - 7th Dec 2009
US Americans are so out of touch that we've lost our ability to live in a capitalisitic world any more. We are behind in most every category in the world except arrogance. MS became what they are because they seized and idea (regardless of how they got it happy ) and ran with it. They did not get there giving everything away forever (except IE happy ). We need to get out of the habit of wanting or even wishing for these continued handouts. Lets get back to paying for what we want. That way we can demand more. You can't complain when you are getting handouts. You are at a disadvantage.

Secondly, XP is safe, Vista is now safe and working. There is no reason to move to 7 at this moment unless you are a techy or buying a new computer. All this whining is generally coming from underachievers that always want something for nothing! I say get a technet subscription (for $150 more), install on all home computers and rest your neck - Slackers! Think for once happy
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For a company that wants adoption of their
Snooki_smoosh_smoosh 7th Dec 2009
product, this offer should last for 6 months, actually it should become a permanent SKU. Personally I was hoping to get on the other side of the holidays to purchase this upgrade pack, but since it is sold out, my house will not be adopting Windows 7, as I will not pay $120 per machine X 3 to do it. Sorry MS Christmas Presents for the family take precedence over upgrading the household computers, and since I will not pay $120 per machine for upgrade, it is MS loss.

I have also decided that since MS seems to be all greed lately on upgrades, that at my next upgrade cycle for my machines, I will be buying into the competition. $120 is just too much to upgrade for, whereas with Apple one can buy a family pack at anytime, for any one of their products, and upgrade on 5 machines. Going forward where having more than one machine in our household, this is only going to make more sense.
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Ok.....
OhTheHumanity 7th Dec 2009
Sorry you will be loosing out on Win 7. Just as the previous commentor posted you expected it to be around forever and it stated limited time only. I do think they should have kept it around for the holidays, but I suspect they are making high enough sales that they don't need to keep the promotion around so they aren't. Go ahead and spend $5000+ for three new machines from Apple, but sure hope you don't have buyers remorse when you find its nothing amazing but just another OS with some wiz bang, but not enough bang for the buck. I just think its funny how you complain about $360 but would rather go spend thousands instead. Maybe my calculator is messed up or something.
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Wow
Coolaaron88 7th Dec 2009
So let me get this straight, because you dont want to spend 120 per machine to upgrade to 7, you would rather spend 6k on apple desktops? Ok how much does a family pack of macs cost? Yeah not cheap.
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Actually, I saw it a different way...
mgp3 7th Dec 2009
He already owns that 6K worth of Crapple...has either never owned Microsoft or hasn't in a while, and thought he was being clever in his ABM-style post. And we saw how successful he was in THAT endeavor.
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Listen: This is not something within your control or is it!
andrej770 7th Dec 2009
You can go spend all that money on Apple or spend an additional $150 on a MS technet license and have access to everything software package MS sells (other than development tools). You are thinking with your emotions and not your wallet. Apparently you have the money to blow. So go blow it. Todays recession isn't hitting you at all. Right!!!. I have Macs in my home too. I just bought a 24" Cinema Display that I found out is NOT compatible with the "24 Imac I just bought last year. Argh! How could this be. Apple says, they are moving on with new technology - but my IMac from just last year can't use a monitor the same company puts out this year. Goodness!!! Don't get me wrong, I love my Mac's but remember they come with their pain too and if you think MS has no regard for their customers, wait until you experience Apple.
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Technet license is only for evaluation and testing purposes.
ye 7th Dec 2009
You cannot legally use the licenses outside of these purposes.
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And do pray tell how you TEST without using it in a normal way!!!
andrej770 Updated - 7th Dec 2009
I am a techy and my family test every OS I install. I am a better techy based upon immediate feedback I get from around the house.
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The terms of the Technet license spell out what is permitted.
ye 7th Dec 2009
I'm sure you'll find some creative way to say you're testing but we'll all know it's bogus. While Microsoft won't come breaking down the door if someone is using a Technet license improperly many people like to follow the law and abide by the terms of a license. Apparently you're not one of us.
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"one of us"
andrej770 7th Dec 2009
Dude, you barely stick to the letter of the rules on ZDNET and have the nerve to talk about following the letter of the EULA. When you find a violation. Let me me know. Until them, go back to being mall cop.
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@andrej770: Nice ad hom.
ye 7th Dec 2009
When you've got a real argument we can talk.
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Oh come on, Americans always demand LESSER PRICES
i-want-gizmos 7th Dec 2009
what is wrong with you? don't know that being american means being able to demand anything for a lesser price if not free? it's also basic economics of demand and supply where it works both ways in setting the price.

of course, microsoft will push very hard how much they want to charge as their pricing. nonetheless, although prices may drop on a lot of other things, in contrast the price of the latest version of windows may stay up there because the microsoft corporate bloat must be supported somehow.
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At least you know the process.
andrej770 7th Dec 2009
Corporate greed is everywhere; not just with MS. Look at Verizon and their new $350 early termination fee "for advanced devices"; like terminating early for an advanced device cost them more than terminating early for a less advanced device. Hmmm, I smell a rat!
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In Verizon's Defense...
voyager529 7th Dec 2009
I never thought I'd be defending Verizon, but upping the ETF kinda makes sense, given the higher subsidies they're giving. If they're subsidizing a $500 handset down to $199, they're essentially loaning you $300 to be paid back over the course of the contract. Charging a $180 ETF would mean that if someone cancels after 30 days, Verizon lost $120 on the deal. The $180 termination fee made sense (and still does) with a generic $149 MSRP Nokia candy bar phone, because even if they give that phone away for free, it still costs the user $30 more than purchasing the phone outright. With more and more people wanting more sophisticated phones, and a proportional number of them trying to work the system and being dishonest, despite the fact that I believe that it sucks to do so, I don't think that a higher ETF is nearly as unreasonable as it would have been a few years ago.

Joey
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RE: Microsoft ends discounted Windows 7 Family Pack deal (but maybe not for good)
mrvee@... 7th Dec 2009
In the words of Billy Crystal's "Fernando", Mary Jo, you look marvelous!
But on the story, I was able to find one copy of the family pack and the next day, they were all sold out. At Sams Club, Fry's Electronics, BestBuy everywhere. I think they should bring it back for at least until the beta expires in March of 2010.
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I Would Have Bought That For Christmas
i-want-gizmos 7th Dec 2009
I would have bought the family pack. But the family pack is no longer available. So I'm not upgrading three computers that I was thinking of upgrading to Windows 7. No longer an urgent thing to do if can't do it as a christmas present for the family. Vista is good enough. Sorry Microsoft but you lost out on another upgrade customer.
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Here come all the people who were "going to" upgrade. nt
ye 7th Dec 2009
.id.
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hey dude. i was going to upgrade.
i-want-gizmos 7th Dec 2009
hey dude. i was going to upgrade. i have two laptops and desktop that would have been upgraded. but hell, life gets in the way you know. like bills and mortgage payments and what not. upgrading to windows 7 can be at the lowest priority level for a lot of people. but obviously not for the minority of techhead geeks who are too full of themselves.

the price for the family pack used to be like $150 but now you have opportunistic third-party sellers on amazon and ebay who want $260 for the family pack. no thanks.
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So now its MS's fault you took to long to buy the pack
andrej770 Updated - 7th Dec 2009
and now you have to go to third party. Sounds like the same situation as waiting too late to buy tickets for a sporting game. Scalpers will get you for waiting too late. Life happens - participate!
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You may be right
Viva la crank dodo 7th Dec 2009
but you know when the game is going to be. Many people just probably took for granted that they would get more notice or that MS would at least shout from the rooftops "ONLY ONE MORE MONTH OF OPPORTUNITY FOR THE FAMILY PACK"
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I Blame Society
DannyO_0x98 7th Dec 2009
No, it's not Microsoft's fault that he missed this window. On the other
hand, Microsoft may have left some money on the table and if there
are enough like him, it's a lot of money. If, indeed, I grant you.

But. But. But. What's a poor multi-national supposed to do??????

Maybe announce that the family pack offer has two weeks to go and
see what customers that shakes out of the trees.

Now they don't have to do that and there may be good reasons to not
do that, but the only one I can see right now is to extract maximum
revenue from gift-givers.

Since I've gone there, may I point out I do not want Windows for
Christmas. Accordion and polka lessons, absolutely, but not an os, any
os, that os.
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I believe
Viva la crank dodo 8th Dec 2009
Accordion and polka lessons are also available with family pack discounts.
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Uh huh. Amazing how many people were going to upgrade.
ye 7th Dec 2009
But are no longer going to once the deal ended.
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Make some noise
Viva la crank dodo 7th Dec 2009
Like the article says, MS is marketing itself as listening to the customer. They may be anticipating that the outcry will be loud on this and by re instituting the offer, recieve accolades (and money) from the customer for being so responsive. If this is the case, those that would have upgraded, will upgrade and more quickly, remembering how they almost missed out.
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Go get a MS technet subscription for $350 and install.
andrej770 7th Dec 2009
People, you have to think outside the box. We are in a recession. MS offers people the ability to install all their OS's (10 times) if you have a MS technet subscription. Why pay retail prices everytime. Get Smart! Take advantage of the opportunity and stop whining.

Secondly, unless you planned on being up all night Christmas eve, you were not going to be able to upgrade these systems without them knowing anyway. So the point is bogus. Plus Vista is great. Being on the bleeding edge requires bleeding edge knowledge. If you didn't know about technet, you are not on the bleeding edge. So relax - and bring cheese with the whine next time. happy
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Oh yes pay MS a 350 dollar subscription
Snooki_smoosh_smoosh 8th Dec 2009
and then pay them due annually to keep using it? WOW!. Technet subscription is more targeted for lab tests and such, hence why a technet subscriber gets keys for just about everything. It may be worth it, if you want to play with a rack of servers at home, and fiddle with this or that, but for upgrading 3 home machines, it is like going after a fly with a sludge hammer.
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It was obviously about developers buying multiple copies.
No more Microsoft software becuase it sucks! 7th Dec 2009
Nothing Microsoft does is about the end user. It's all about getting folks to LOCK IN to their API and OS.

Pity Microsoft. If this gets out they will lose even MORE share!
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Oh yeah! Woe is MS they will lose .0000000000009%
andrej770 7th Dec 2009
AND!
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That makes sense
Cylon Centurion 7th Dec 2009
Yeah!
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Already dumped Windows for Mac OS X.
nucrash 7th Dec 2009
The problem is I still have a lot of Windows PCs to continue to dump. I have offloaded two more this month and I have three to dispose of and three to sell.
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Congratulations nucrash
spaul40 7th Dec 2009
Just read your posting on swapping out MAC's for your MS based PC's. Congratulations on your new found wealth. I'm sure the rest of us would like to know how you made your new fortune.

OSX and Win 7 are just Operating Systems. They do NOT perform any productive applications. They just allow applications to operate - and there are a lot more applications for Win 7 than for OSX.
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more != good or better
MacCanuck 7th Dec 2009
or usable or worth considering/counting.

Just as there over 100,000 apps in the Apple Apps Store, that doesn't mean they're all worth using or seriously considering (even those that are free).

quantity != quality, whether arguing Windows over Mac or iPhone over other wannabes (the iPhone stands on it's own happy )
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Quality of the App is not MS's responsibility.
andrej770 7th Dec 2009
MS has a certification process for applications just like Apple has a process for apps that go into App store. 90% of the apps for windows are NOT certified as MS does not try to be the application police. So, this puts their OS at risk. But if MS took the same stance and said they had to approve all apps, the world would be in an uproar. So, lets not try to compare Apples to Oranges. Apple is a proprietary environment and limited to their own hardware. Who wants to be boxed in and controlled. Not me!!
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Still 1 Correct App Beats 1000s of Incorrect
DannyO_0x98 7th Dec 2009
Did any one suggest Microsoft is to blame? What does certification
mean, that an application's functionality and interface excels for one's
problem domain? No. Just that it behaves nicely with the drivers and
os and the publisher paid for that check. Also one gets to put a little
icon on the side of the box which helps sell it in the store.

Boxed in and controlled? Please. As though you wake up many
mornings and decide today is the day you will uninstall that Windows
(better be one of those transferable licenses) on this bit of kit to put it
on that bit of kit and then spend the rest of the week resolving
licensing and application issues. Microsoft, the same company that
wishes to re-vet your license if you change enough of your hardware. I
get that they don't say no. I get why they figure it gets them more
revenue than it loses them. I just don't get why folks like you
champion Microsoft as the "any hardware freedom folks." A phrase
which, much like Henry Ford's classic slogan about the color choices
for the Model T, has the footnote, "as long as the hardware is Intel of
fairly recent vintage."

So far, I have not had that urge to take OS X off my Mac and put it on
another Intel box. So, I'm not really feeling the whole B&C thing. To be
fair, I could get those boxed-in blues tomorrow. After 2,991 days as
a switcher, perhaps I'm due.
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Great that you have a choice!!
NonZealot 7th Dec 2009
I thought Windows had a monopoly. Huh.

PS I dumped OS X for Windows. My MBP has never run
better. happy
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At home I have a choice
nucrash 8th Dec 2009
At work, the choice isn't really there... yet.

Lotus Notes and Novell work on Mac systems. OpenOffice.org is great and there are some other great toys that the Mac comes with standard even though if Microsoft loaded their OS with apps, I would call it bloatware.
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Windows 7 Family Pack
djrobluv@... 7th Dec 2009
I purchased the family pack to upgrade all the PC's in our household. But discovered Win7 Home Premium didn't support Backups to a network drive as Vista Home Premium did. This blew me away. I am a stickler for backing up. The systems had Vista Home Premium on them before the upgrade and I was able to backup to the Network drive. Now this.. Now I have to spend money on a 3rd Party software backup solution now for 3 PC's. $50 each system well there goes another $150.00. MAC YOU WILL be my new choice for new computers in the future sorry Microsoft, you blew it......
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ripped off by Microsoft because ...
SoStupid 7th Dec 2009
"Those suckers that bought Vista Ultimate, myself included, are screwed," said yet another commenter. "There isn't a chance in hell that I am paying $219 for what should really be Vista SP2. We were promised 'extras' which we never got, now we are being excluded from the pre-order special. Anyway even at $49, it is still too much to pay."

The extras that commenter mentioned refer to "Ultimate Extras," one of the main features Microsoft cited in the months leading up to the 2007 release of Vista Ultimate to distinguish the operating system from its lower-priced siblings. According to Microsoft's marketing, Extras were to be "cutting-edge programs, innovative services and unique publications" that would be regularly offered only to users of Vista's highest-priced edition.

But users soon began belittling the paltry number of add-ons Microsoft released and the company's leisurely pace at providing them. Just five months after Vista was launched, critics started to complain.

Earlier this year, Microsoft dumped the feature, saying that it would instead focus on existing features in Windows 7 rather than again promise extras.

The furor over Vista Ultimate has even reached analysts' ranks. In May, Michael Cherry of Directions on Microsoft urged Microsoft to give Vista Ultimate owners a free upgrade to Windows 7. "It would buy them a lot of good will, and I don't think it would cost them much," Cherry said at the time.

Some of the commenters in the latest Computerworld stories about Windows 7 echoed Cherry.

"I am running Vista Ultimate and feel ripped off by Microsoft because ... [we] never received the extras we paid good money to get," said "Hellfire" in a long comment. "The very least that they should do is offer a heavily-discounted upgrade to Windows 7 Ultimate to those that have lost money by purchasing Vista Ultimate."

check google for source
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Merry Christmas ... with Love Microsoft!
toddlorensinclair 7th Dec 2009
As My Mom used to say ..."You'll be cutting off your nose to spite your face ..."

Microsoft pulling the Windows 7 Family pack pricing hurts.

I would think those people looking to upgrade several PC's in their house will now upgrade none ... I mean even $150 is a lot of money at least to all the people in my social sphere ... where they gonna get $300 to do the same thing they were gonna do for $150? ... Vista is not much different from win7 ... I think it would've been nice to upgrade but not for all that money.

Paul Thurrott ... You have some influence over there ... have a word with them will ya!


Microsoft may be doing it for price value perception, but its certainly not winning them any friends ... and they really picked the wrong time to do it ... Bah Humbug Mr Balmer!
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upgrade, nah
jeffk464 7th Dec 2009
Yup, unless you are running on a netbook or something I dont see that much advantage over vista. The option is to just keep running vista.
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Family Discount? Pffft. Who needs Windows 7 when Ubuntu Linux is FREE?
D T Schmitz 8th Dec 2009
Folks,

Eyes wide open mmmkay?

Just another day of money transfers of 'your personal wealth' to Microsoft.

I hope you will stop this time and see why Ubuntu Linux 9.10, Karmic Koala, is the safest, Family-Friendly operating system on the planet.

Try Ubuntu 9.10 today and see for yourself.
http://www.ubuntu.com

Thank you.
Dietrich T. Schmitz
Linux Advocate
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RE: Microsoft ends discounted Windows 7 Family Pack deal (but maybe not for good)
joannejohn@... 8th Dec 2009
I was going to give Windows 7 family pack to my brothers and sisters (4 brothers, 3 sisters) families for Christmas, but since the offer was withdrawn 3 weeks before Christmas, Microsoft loses. No Windows 7. I will spend the $150 on each of them for other things. This ranks right up there with the M&M's exec that said "no" to using the candy in the movie E.T.
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MS should have had a predefined date published
dunn@... 9th Dec 2009
I heard in the beginning that it would be a limited time offer...but less than 2 months?!?

At least MS could have had the courtesy of making the end date public so that those that wanted it could have planned for it.

Then again it's Microsoft so they don't know the meaning of good customer relations or the definition of "Courtesy".

I too was planning on purchasing at least one box, possibly two.

So I keep using XP and Vista for a while longer and during my PC builds I might even get a copy of Mac OSX and the Hacked EFI and build a Mac or two.
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I had it in my shopping cart, then it disappeared. Now I will wait.
Hfly1 Updated - 9th Dec 2009
I had the family pack in my online shopping cart last night but was waiting for the upgrade adviser to finish running on my laptop before I would buy. The adviser finally finished, said I was ok for the upgrade, but it was just after midnight and the pack disappeared from my cart and the site. I looked around and could not find it for under $200 anywhere. I'll wait. Microsoft cooled my enthusiasm.
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RE: Microsoft ends discounted Windows 7 Family Pack deal (but maybe not for good)
jackson1984-24316069205748857739440257893812 10th Oct
I'm most certainly dissatisfied football shop of diploma of this world-wide-web site. I've absolutely not identified so horrible short article content material, finish not very encouraged!

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