Uproar over Windows 7 upgrade limitations

Microsoft has announced that Windows 7 upgrades will be limited to just 25 machines per company for those that purchased new computers between now and the official release of the Windows 7 operating system on October 22. This could have major implications for organizations planning larger upgrades, though was not initially publicized by Microsoft for obvious reasons.

"Gartner believes Microsoft designs these program limitations to persuade organizations to enter Enterprise Agreements, enroll licenses in Software Assurance or purchase upgrade rights to run Windows 7," Gartner analyst Michael Silver wrote in a report. This obviously does not sit well with detractors who have criticized Microsoft and are charging the company with attempting to charge twice for the same OS.  Finally, it must be pointed out that the program for a free upgrade from Windows XP to Windows 7 will cease once Windows 7 SP1 becomes available. 

For more on this story:
- check out this article at PC World
- check out this news analysis at Gartner

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