Isn’t it more a reflection of the fact that most people only upgrade their OS when they upgrade their PC? They don’t really see the two as separate, and much as technical folk such as ourselves love the fact that Windows 7 will run on anything that means nothing to the average user who would be intimidated by the very thought of installing a new operating system.

Not to mention all the OEMs who need to sell their latest and greatest hardware and would see a slogan such as “Don’t bother to upgrade, just install Windows” as something less than appealing.

You might also want to consider the point of view expressed here (http://www.cringely.com/2009/10/why-windows-7-costs-so-much/) by Bob Cringely. The basic argument is that the upgrade costs so much because Microsoft don’t want anyone to upgrade but buy a new PC instead. I can certainly see how upgrades are likely to incur higher costs for MS than new PCs, where the OEM undertakes the support.

Or is this just another example of the mentality of the Dixon group.
They have been on my banned list for years for being utter rubbish when it comes to give the customer any relevant service.

I spoke to my brother last night. He “just uses” his computer, he doesn’t know or care about device drivers or applications etc.

I mentioned I had upgraded to Windows 7 and he asked whether he should too, and whether it was worth the money.

My opinion was, as long as he is relatively happy with the version of Vista installed on his laptop, he should wait until he needs a new machine.

The improvements over Vista are good, but it is hard to justify the upgrade price – unlike Vista, which was a clear leap ahead of XP.

If a users current PC does what they need, then I’d leave them with a working system. Getting a new machine is a no-brainer, go for Windows 7.

They are box sellers, what else do you expect from them?

They’re simply trying to take advantage of the positive image being painted in the press of W7 as much as they can. And why shouldn’t they!

Michael@9:19am – Bang on, that’s how I interpret it. Not even Dixons are stupid enough to advertise a product that’s “so good you’ll need to spend a futher £800 on hardware to run it.”

The message is undoubtedly that having Windows 7 is like *having* a new PC. I think you’d have to be pretty stupid to misinterpret it.

Darien, while I totally agree with your sentiments on a “disgruntlement” basis one can see that this fairly odious tactic may still be a winner for Microsoft/Dixons on a “£/$” basis. I don’t think anyone is going to be sufficiently disgruntled with this sales pitch to reject Windows 7 altogether. But some of those who were thinking of just buying the upgrade may walk in and look at this ad, which gets their juices flowing thinking about a new PC and cause them to stray into the laptops section for a browse, and some of those might well take the plunge. And because windows 7 is good they will probably be satisfied with their purchase, remaining in blissful ignorance about the ability of their 2006 laptop sitting at home to run windows 7 perfectly well thank you very much.

So overall it may actually be an effective campaign, unhappy as we may all be with its misleading nature.

i am really fed up with people bashing the staff who work in currys/pc world. I Have worked in currys for 4 years and like a lot of the staff i work with am very clued up when it comes to the thinks we sell. I build/upgrade and repair computers outside of work so not only can i read labels but i know what they mean. Don’t tar everyone with the same brush it just makes you look like an idiot.

I bought Windows 7 Pro standalone edition from PC World and it was 3p less than the Upgrade Edition
Odd but saves a load of hassle when I come to reformat in a years time.

I think the answer is simple (meaning in fact it isn’t lol) and it’s that if you’re at a store and can be bothered, take the time out and ask what the shop staff/store manager’s view is of this campaign – whether they encourage/want customers to buy new PCs despite XP or Vista installed-machines being good enough to run Win 7 or are they happy w/out any trouble to point someone in the direction of the boxed packages they ought to be selling at the same time, whether it’s the upgrade or full version?
As has been said previously, if a person walks in looking for a new computer from the word go it’s a really moot point.

re. 15. ben Says:
November 6th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
i am really fed up with people bashing the staff who work in currys/pc world. I Have worked in currys for 4 years and like a lot of the staff i work with am very clued up when it comes to the thinks we sell.

sorry Bin, i’d rather buy thinks from poeple who can spill.
on your next shift please try to find out what chipset is on the motherboard of the pc you’re about to sell. last time i checked PCW don’t have that information, even after they’ve called head office.

i’m with #5 Kurt, DSGi is on my ‘banned’ list and i can’t see it ever being removed!