OK, OK, I know that you're wondering just what gadget tales have to do with Windows 7 and Microsoft, which are the area of expertise of a whole different section of our website, but the truth of the matter is that I've had some pretty close experiences with the publicly available test version of Microsoft's latest OS lately and I simply felt compelled to say a little something about the value it offers, as well as some of old M$' practices regarding its marketing. And no, I haven't found a way for the normal, everyday user (like myself) to purchase the OS for the sum mentioned, but I would have surely loved to.

As some of you might know, the Windows 7 operating system is already available for pre-order from Microsoft, either as an upgrade to Windows Vista (although this is something nobody recommends, given the fact that we're talking about a very lengthy process, regardless of just how powerful your machine really is) or as separate software for clean installs, which is the best way to go (I've just installed it onto a Dual-Core Atom + NVIDIA ION setup, and the whole process took around 20 – 25 minutes).

However, the price for the OS is quite a huge one, the Ultimate version going for around 320 US dollars, while the Home Premium version is a bit more affordable, since it's priced at just around 200 US dollars.

While surfing the web and looking for info related to Windows 7, I've managed to come across some pretty interesting articles, which detail the fact that Microsoft has a very peculiar pricing policy (OK, so I guess we already knew that from the past experiences with Vista and XP), as well as the fact that it's making a lot more money than expected in certain specific areas (such as the relationship with OEM manufacturers).

One of these articles talks about Microsoft's special pricing policy regarding students. So, apparently, this particular category of users (who, quite obviously, don't have the financial means to pay the full amount for this thing) will be able to get Windows 7 for much less, namely somewhere in the vicinity of 30 pounds sterling (or 50 US dollars), the company from Redmond claiming that this offering is viewed as a helping hand for those college and university students who want to take advantage of the features provided by the new OS, but don't have enough money to purchase a copy or a new computing machine that comes with Windows 7 pre-installed.

And while this initiative from Microsoft is actually a very good one (because, among other things, it might also lead to a reduction in piracy levels), it also brings to our attention the second subject we've briefly mentioned above, namely that of OEMs. Apparently, as Ars Technica reports, various industry sources seem to indicate the fact that Microsoft is charging OEMs around 5 percent of the value of a new computer for the right to use Windows 7. OK, that might not seem like a lot, but just think about just how many new computers (with Windows pre-installed) are being shipped on a daily basis, so you're likely to understand exactly just how much money Microsoft is making. So, no wonder it can afford to offer Win7 to students for less.

As a conclusion, I can honestly say that I miss being in college. And it's not because of all the partying (well, that too, but that's a whole different matter) and worry-free life I was leading, but also because college students tend to get a lot of bonuses, such as this one. So, if you haven't gone to college yet and you want to get Windows 7 for a lot less, now's the time to enroll (or set up a company and become an OEM, but that's a lot more difficult).

P.S. Of course, that last part is a joke. Going to college is in fact important for some completely different reasons, one of them being the fact that, if you do graduate, you'll probably afford to buy whatever operating system Microsoft will be launching by then.


We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is .