The Windows 7 October 22nd release date is less than four months away and Microsoft has finally given the skinny on their upcoming prices. If your like most, you would have hoped these prices would be very reasonable, especially after the problems that Windows Vista had early on. Evenmore so, after Apple’s shocking announcement of the twenty-nine dollar price tag of OS X Snow Leopard, Microsoft had to be feeling the pressure more than ever. The pricing is as follows:

Personally, I think these prices are much too expensive. With the woes of Vista and the current state of the economy, keeping all versions of the Home Premium edition under a hundred dollars would have been a great move for Microsoft. Going further and offering it for $29.99 for Vista users would have been even better. Not only that, but a more affordable operating system would increase sales and dwarf piracy. It would also be widely portrayed as an act of good faith by Microsoft, removing much of the bad stigma Vista has left behind. Windows 7 is everything that Vista should have been and more. I’ve been running the BETA/RC since it was first made available, and am very pleased with the performance, stability, and driver support.

In closing, I would certainly recommend upgrading Windows 7. Many manufacturers are offering a free upgrade if you buy a new Vista machine from now until the release date. Also, if you get the release candidate, which was made freely available a few months back, you have up to next year to run it until your required to upgrade to the retail version. Finally, there is no excuse for those people still running XP on newer machines. Pre-Order Now.

If you want even more information on pricing, I’d recommend getting over to the Window’s Super Site!