Since the introduction of Windows Vista, Dell has been offering a downgrade option to Windows XP for its customers. The deadline for the downgrade option has been extended twice, and at this point costs more than a brand new copy of OS X Leopard.
Tgdaily points out that the Windows XP downgrade option is listed on Dell’s website with the Inspiron 1525 notebook and 530 desktops with a $150 price-tag. Dell however, did not hike up the downgrade option pricing on its Vostro desktops and notebooks. The price for the XP downgrade on those was raised in October and remains at $99.
Analysts are unable to determine whether this shows a declining or increasing demand for the operating system. Some believe that netbook demand (sub-$500, Linux based notebook) has taken the load off of downgraded PC options with Windows XP. According to Devil Mountain Software, a market research firm that collects “real-world” metrics from Windows computers, nearly one third (35%) of PC users that purchased a PC between February and August 2008, downgraded to Windows XP from Windows Vista.
Perhaps most interesting is that Apple sells brand new versions of Mac OS X Leopard for $129
Microsoft is promising a lot with Windows 7, and the industry is waiting anxiously for anything to move it along after Vista. They are keeping strong with the focus of being fully compatible with as many existing device drivers, applications, and hardware configurations as possible. Unfortunately, early developer builds and statements from Microsoft’s CEO Steve Ballmer himself lead us to believe Windows 7 may just be more of the same.
As Apple remains focused on delivering an increasingly refined version of OS X with Snow Leopard, healthy competition between the two operating systems has been rather difficult given Vista’s failures. For the sake of the industry, let’s hope Microsoft delivers something heavy with Windows 7.
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