Windows 7 Family Pack to make a comeback in October

Last December, when Microsoft dropped its Windows 7 Family Pack promotion just before Christmas, I thought it might return. I predicted Microsoft might do an about-face and reintroduce it.

I thought that might happen in a couple of months. It actually took close to a year for the Family Pack to come back -- and will happen right after the back-to-school PC buying rush is over.

As Microsoft officials noted on September 1 on the Windows Experience blog, starting October 3 in the U.S., the Family Pack will be available via select retailers and online at the Microsoft Store for $149.99. (That's the same price Microsoft charged for it last year.) Under terms of the deal, buyers will get three copies of Windows 7 Home Premium. Customers in Canada, UK, Germany, France, Australia and other markets will be able to buy the Windows 7 Family Pack on or after October 22, the one-year anniversary of the launch of Windows 7.

As my colleague Ed Bott notes, don't be surprised to see Microsoft end the promotion when those seemingly inexhaustible "supplies run out," like they did last year.