Microsoft Canada leaks Vista prices

Microsoft on Monday briefly posted pricing for Windows Vista on its Canadian Web site, giving an insight into what the company will charge for the new operating system.

The posting indicates that the Home Basic edition of Windows Vista will be priced the same as Windows XP Home, at $259 Canadian (£120). The Home Premium version, which includes support for Media Center and tablet PC abilities will sell for 13 per cent more, a price that translates to about £140.

Microsoft quickly removed the price information, but blogger Ed Bott, who spotted the price list on Monday, included the price list in a ZDNet posting. Bott cautioned that those trying to figure out US pricing would be better off comparing the Canadian Vista prices to their XP counterparts than to just convert to US dollars -- the same would apply to UK pricing.

A Microsoft representative said the company "inadvertently posted Windows Vista Canadian retail prices" on its Web site but said it has removed the posting and is not ready to share US pricing information. The company said it would announce those prices when it ships the 'Release Candidate 1' test version, which is due out by September.

The company is still wrapping up development work on the oft-delayed Windows update, which will come more than five years after its predecessor, Windows XP. After issuing the near-final release candidate next month, the company hopes to finalise the code in November in time for a mainstream launch in January.

Microsoft has yet to publicly announce its pricing plans, but has said that they will be generally similar to Windows XP prices, with a higher tag planned for Windows Vista Ultimate, a new high-end version that combines advanced media features with business-oriented features.

"We don't expect significant changes in our pricing strategy," Windows unit head Kevin Johnson said at a July meeting with financial analysts. "However, Vista Ultimate is a new product and we will sell that at a modest premium to today's offerings."

The information that was posted on Microsoft's Canadian Web site suggests that premium will be hefty indeed, with that version priced at $499 Canadian (£240).

On the upgrade front, a Vista Ultimate upgrade is priced somewhat above today's cost for upgrading to XP Professional. Windows Vista Business, meanwhile, is priced slightly below the XP Pro upgrade price. The upgrade to Windows Vista Basic is priced at the same rate as that for XP Home Edition, while Vista Home Premium is priced 54 per cent higher than the basic edition.

The software maker announced in February that it plans to sell six versions of Windows Vista, including Vista Starter, which will only be sold on new PCs in emerging markets.