Amazon Offers First Peek at XP Box, Pricing
UPDATED While no official announcement has been made by Microsoft, online retailer Amazon.com has provided the first glimpse of the Windows XP box, as well as pricing for the upcoming OS. Not straying far from current prices, Windows XP Home Edition will run $199 USD for the full version and $99 USD for upgrades. Professional Edition will be more demanding on the pocketbook, retailing at $299 and $199 USD for full and upgrade versions, respectively.
Microsoft is positioning Home Edition as the upgrade path for consumers and Professional Edition for businesses, but acknowledges most users will not see a difference. For an extra one hundred bucks, XP Professional offers remote desktop capabilities, offline files, support for dual processors, NTFS, and advanced management tools. By comparison, Windows Me and Windows 2000 cost $9 more than their XP counterparts upon release.
Interestingly, the software giant has shipped Professional versions of the OS to all Preview Program participants, possibly signifying Redmond's assumption that most users will want the additional power. Windows 2000 experienced a similar fate, unexpectedly becoming the operating system of choice for most home users after Windows Me debuted to much disappointment.
As of right now Microsoft remains noncommittal to a volume license agreement or rebate pack for home users. Mark Croft, a Windows XP product manager told BetaNews that, 'we continue to evaluate different licensing & packaging options for Windows in the future. However, currently we do not have any committed plans for a ‘Home Network Pack’ or similar for Windows XP at launch/availability.'
Since publication, Amazon has removed the listings for Windows XP on the request of Microsoft. Both editions may still be purchased at ebworld.com.