The price of pre-ordering Windows 7 has shot up to £80 at the majority of retailers, with the promotional £50 copies already in short supply.
In order to ensure Windows 7 got off to a better start than Vista, Microsoft slashed the cost of Home Premium and Professional by a third on promotional copies which were sold on a “first come, first served basis while stocks last”.
The promotion ensured Windows 7 shot to the top of Amazon’s charts when it was released yesterday, with the online retailer claiming that “sales in the first eight hours outstripped those of Windows Vista’s entire 17 week pre-order period,” according to the BBC.
It was a similar story at other retailers including Play and Tesco. However, it appears Microsoft’s generosity only stretches so far, with promotion copies already in short supply within a day of launch.
Ordering from Amazon, Play or Tesco now will cost you £80 for Home Premium and £100 for Home Professional. There’s still no sight of Ultimate Edition on the horizon.
To find out which stores are still stocking promotion copies of Windows 7 visit Microsoft’s availability checker.
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