Microsoft revives Windows 7 Family Pack discount

Microsoft today said it will revive last year's multi-license Windows 7 Family Pack in early October for U.S. customers.

The Family Pack gives consumers three upgrade licenses from Windows XP or Vista to Windows 7 Home Premium. The $150 price tag is the same Microsoft put on the package last year when it offered the deal for several weeks after the Oct 22, 2009, launch of the new operating system.

This year's offer will likely be short-lived, too: Microsoft spokesman Ashley Brown said it would run "while supplies last," the same phrase the company used in 2009.

U.S. customers can purchase the Family Pack starting Oct. 3, while consumers in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the U.K. and other markets will be able to buy it on or after Oct. 22, Brown said.

At $50 per upgrade, the Pack is a bargain compared to Microsoft's usual pricing, which pegs a Windows 7 Home Premium Upgrade at $120. Retailers often knock $10 or so off that price; Amazon.com, for example, sells the stand-alone upgrade for $109. Even at that price, the Family Pack represents a per-license discount of 54%.

:story: Full story: Computerworld