Update on Windows 7 in Europe: Norway will not get Family Pack!

Brandon LeBlanc has updated the Windows Blog with additional information on Windows 7 in Europe. Basically it breaks down to this;

• Family Pack is now available it these additional countries; the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and Sweden
• Family Pack is a limited offer (!)
• Windows 7 E will not be delivered in Europe due to the proposal that Microsoft has made to the EU of presenting a ballot screen where the customer decides which browser he wants to use
• People that have preordered upgrade versions of Windows 7 E to special promotional upgrade prices, will still get the full Windows 7 version

Read the full post here.

Additional information: Norwegian tech-site digi.no has gotten comments from Microsoft Norway that confirms that Norway will not have the Family Pack offer, since it is too small a market (!?)

My comments:

First of all – how come the Family Pack offer is a limited offer? Will you run out of digital licenses? What is this bs? I understand that it is all about the bottom line, but come on Microsoft. A Family Pack is something that should be a standard item in your product line – it is called taking care of loyal customers, instead of screwing them over for some easy bucks.

Then, to follow up on the first item; How come this Family Pack is not already available everywhere? Is it so hard to produce license keys that your activation system accepts being used 3 times, no matter which language version you are installing. This is just plain stupid, and once more about screwing your loyal customers over for some easy bucks. Why should it be more relevant for a Dutch or Swedish home to install a legal copy of Windows 7 on the household computers than it would be for a Norwegian or Danish one? Your excuse that the markets are too small does not hold up, just a sorry excuse.

Disappointed, really disappointed. I thought you were improving, but no.

Fix it Microsoft. It is still not too late!