Make no mistake, as a business owner, the cost of the upgrade itself is nothing compared to the lost wages trying to get the new OS to do what the old one did.'Īnsel added that companies running obscure software will also feel disinclined to switch. Joe Ansel, owner of a company that plans development of science centers, wrote in an e-mail to stating his reasons for not upgrading to Windows 7: 'Upgrades cost us time and money as we find ourselves playing with our computers to make them do the things they used to do seamlessly - while the phone never stops ringing and you're getting 60 e-mails a day. _ It'll Cost You Time, Too_ The customers most likely to opt against upgrading to Windows 7 because of money are businesses. This Apple power move alone makes Windows 7's pricing look pretty steep. However, Apple plans to sell its next OS, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, for $30 to current Leopard users.

Apple's Mac OS X Leopard costs $130, for instance. In the software market, $120 isn't ridiculous for an upgrade. And if you don't already own a copy of a Windows OS, you must pay the full price of at least $200 for Windows 7. Pricing varies based on the version you choose, but you'll be paying at least $120 to upgrade from XP or Vista. The Upgrade Is Expensive Windows 7 isn't cheap.

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