Online retailer Amazon.com is accepting preorders for Windows Vista software, which it says will be available on Jan. 30, 2007.

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The Vista prices that Amazon.com is quoting are mostly similar to those for Windows XP, the most current version of the software, except for the new Ultimate edition, for which there is no comparable XP product.

According to the preorder prices posted on the Amazon.com Web site, Windows Vista Home Basic will retail for $199, while an upgrade to this version will cost $99.95, with $89.95 for an additional upgrade license.

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In comparison, Windows XP Home currently costs $189.99 retail, and begins at $89.97 for an upgrade on Amazon.com.

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Vista Home Premium is priced on Amazon.com at $239, with an upgrade costing $159 and an additional upgrade license for $143.00, while Vista Business costs $299 retail, $199 for an upgrade and $179 for an extra upgrade license.

In comparison, Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 can be bought for $247.99 retail on Amazon.com, with an upgrade cost of $157.99.

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However, the flagship edition of the product, Vista Ultimate, for which there is no comparable XP product, is priced at a hefty $399 on Amazon, with an upgrade price of $259 and an additional upgrade license costing $233.

Kevin Kutz, a director in Microsoft's Windows Client group, declined to comment specifically on the preorder pricing on Amazon.com, telling eWEEK.com that the Redmond, Wash., software giant was looking into the origin of the prices quoted by Amazon.com, but doesn't "have an answer to share at this time."

It is also still "too premature for us to comment on the final pricing for Windows Vista," he said, adding that the company plans to announce the U.S. pricing when it makes the first Vista Release Candidate available later this quarter.

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Katz also declined to give any specifics about the product's retail availability.

"We are not providing specific guidance on the availability date for Windows Vista yet. As you know, we are targeting Windows Vista availability for volume license customers in November and general availability in January 2007, although the exact delivery date will be subject to achieving quality metrics based on customer feedback," he said.

The preorder pricing information on Amazon.com follows the publication of Vista pricing on the Microsoft Canada Web site in Canadian dollars.

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