Microsoft is now offering users in six countries Windows 7 at around half the standard price -- for a limited time, of course. The deal is open to existing Vista owners and involves paying now then getting the upgrade when Windows is released.

In the United States, the offer means customers can get an upgrade from Vista Home Premium to Windows 7 Home Premium for $49, and from Vista 7 Professional to Windows 7 Professional for $99. That compares with standard upgrade prices of $119.99 and $199.99 respectively.

Surprisingly, Windows 7 Ultimate, the other main retail edition of Windows Vista, is not covered by the upgrade deal. (Source: microsoft.com)

Other Limitations to Windows 7 Upgrade

There are several limitations to the Windows 7 upgrade deal.

The scheme is only available in the US starting today (June 26th, 2009) until July 11th, 2009. However, Microsoft says only a limited number of customers can get the upgrade and this limit may run out first. The company hasn't said what the limit is, and it may actually be nothing more than a marketing gimmick.

The deal is also only available through the Microsoft online store and certain retailers. In the US, retailers include Amazon, Best Buy and Office Max. Similar deals are available in Canada, Japan, France, Germany and the UK. The pricing, timeline and store availability varies from country to country.

The logistics of the upgrade may vary from retailer to retailer, but in most cases the customer will be given an upgrade disc in October, 2009 when Windows 7 is released to the general public.

Separate Deal For New PC Buyers

This offer shouldn't be confused with a separate upgrade program aimed at people buying new machines.

Under that scheme, which runs until Windows 7 is released, companies selling Vista machines can pay Microsoft a small fee for the right to give the customer a Windows 7 upgrade upon release.

The firms are then allowed to decide how much (if anything) to charge the customer for the upgrade. Yesterday HP became the first company to announce it will offer a free upgrade under their upgrade plan.

It's expected others may follow their lead as it lowers the risk of buyers putting off purchasing until Windows 7 comes out. (Source: informationweek.com)