Windows 7 Family Pack

Martin | Jul 02, 2009 | Comments

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Kristian Kenney spotted an interesting clause in the Microsoft Software License Terms of Windows 7 Home Premium hinting at family licensing packs for that edition of Windows 7. Here is the new clause in the Windows 7 Home Premium terms:

2. INSTALLATION AND USE RIGHTS.
a. One Copy per Computer. Except as allowed in Section 2 (b) below, you may install one copy of the software on one computer. That computer is the “licensed computer.”
b. Family Pack. If you are a “Qualified Family Pack User”, you may install one copy of the software marked as “Family Pack” on three computers in your household for use by people who reside there. Those computers are the “licensed computers” and are subject to these license terms. If you do not know whether you are a Qualified Family Pack User, visit go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?Linkid=141399 or contact the Microsoft affiliate serving your country.

It basically states that Microsoft will be offering a Windows 7 Home Premium Family Pack which can be installed on up to three computer systems in the household. There is no word on the pricing yet. Ed Bott speculates that Microsoft will match or even surpass Apple’s Family Pack which sells for $199 and allows users to install the operating system five times. The Family Pack is only offered for the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system and not Windows 7 Professional or Windows 7 Ultimate. It is also likely that businesses are not allowed to use this version.

The interesting question is definitely about the price of the Family Pack edition. Offering it for $199 or $189 as Ed Bott suggest would mean that it would be offered at roughly the same price as the normal Windows 7 Home Premium edition (according to Amazon.com who sell the edition for $199). It is therefor likely that the price will be higher than $199 unless a requirement would be a Windows Vista or Windows XP operating system license.

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