Johannesburg, 12 Dec 2006
Following Microsoft's announcement that the long-awaited Windows Vista operating system would be made available to businesses with enterprise licence agreements at the end of November, the greater public can expect to get their hands on the product by the end of February 2007.
With these dates confirmed, many buyers have decided to hold back on their hardware upgrades in order to ensure their new computers come preloaded with Windows Vista.
For the most part, buying a computer before the release date of Vista could mean that buyers get Windows XP preloaded as their operating system and would have to incur additional costs for the upgrade to Windows Vista.
"The good news is that this is not necessarily the case with all vendors," says Jamie Scott, director at Tarsus Technologies.
"Certain vendors have negotiated special OEM agreements with Microsoft, to ensure customers buying Vista-capable computers in the weeks leading up to the public release of the operating system qualify for free software upgrades.
"HP is one of those vendors," Scott says, "and the local HP team has confirmed that all purchases of Vista-capable computers (indicated by the presence of the 'Vista-capable' bezel) made after the beginning of November will automatically qualify for an upgrade to Vista."
Scott adds that while buyers will qualify for the upgrade, they will, however, still need to use Microsoft's online toolset to register for the offer.
"Once Vista is readily available in the market, qualifying customers will have to visit Microsoft's Web site and fill out an application, providing information about the computer they have purchased.
"In return, customers will receive an automatically generated voucher which entitles them to a new set of installation media (the location for the collection of the media has yet to be confirmed) and a licence key which enables them to legally use Vista," he adds.
Scott says the fact that HP has gone to great lengths to secure this benefit for customers should be viewed as a massive value-add.
"This announcement makes life so much easier for customers. For the first time since the announcement of the operating systems near availability, customers will be able to rest easy in the knowledge that their hardware is not only designed to function perfectly with Vista, but also that no additional costs will have to be incurred to make use of it," he says.
While it's unclear exactly how the upgrade process will work, Scott says Tarsus will work closely with resellers and customers, to ensure that it's a smooth process.
"Changing operating systems can be a dramatic experience, so we will be close on hand to help customers and resellers through this process. Should they have any questions leading up to the release of Vista, they are welcome to contact anyone in the HP team for assistance," he concludes.
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