Microsoft is announcing its Windows Anytime upgrade pricing formula as follows :

“Today we’re announcing further detail on how Windows Anytime Upgrade works. Come 30 January, Windows Anytime Upgrade will allow customers to purchase and download a digital key to upgrade to a more feature-rich edition of Windows Vista. The user will then complete the upgrade process by inserting the Windows Vista DVD that came with their PC or with their retail purchase of Windows Vista. The program will be available in the US, Canada, Europe and Japan.

“Manufacturer’s suggested retail prices (MSRP) to upgrade from a more basic version of Windows Vista are:

Home Basic –> Home Premium: $79
Home Basic –> Ultimate: $199
Home Premium –> Ultimate: $159
Business –> Ultimate: $139

“We’ve designed Windows Anytime Upgrade as a measure of convenience for our customers and hope it proves to be a way for you to more easily advance to a more fully-featured edition of Windows Vista.”

We will see on January 30.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is revealing a whole host of new products from Microsoft. A company press release gives some details :

LAS VEGAS — January 7, 2007 — Speaking at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates and Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division President Robbie Bach showed how the company is delivering a new generation of connected experiences that are inspired by the universal desire to create community and share interests and passions with friends and family.

Gates and Bach announced several new products and services that include new Windows Vista-inspired PCs, never-before-seen Windows Vista features, an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV)-enabled Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system, and a new partnership with Ford Motor Co. that will extend digital experiences to the car. The company also unveiled Microsoft Windows Home Server, which provides a central place to help store, protect and access all the digital content in the home.

“As the magic of software makes it easier for people to be creators, publishers and consumers of digital content, it is expanding the way we think about community and entertainment,” Gates said. “From your living room to your car, we’re delivering a wave of new software products and services that make it easier for you to manage your day-to-day lives, express your ideas and share your interests.”

Read also about the new Windows Vista PCs in Vista Office.

The new Vista Build 5728 is out to beta testers. According to the Windows Vista Team Blog, the 57xx builds are reserved for Release-to-Manufacturing (RTM).

New Vista Build 5728 source

I really don’t think the recent Gartner and Chris P’s comments on the whole Vista delay is out of hand. Think for a second. MS is becoming a dinosaur and getting too huge to be effective. When you get that big, office politics grows to a grand scale and decisions take a longer time to sorted out. Well, I’ve said it. Microsoft is a Web 1.0 dinosaur…. I’ll keep my Win2k and Win XP for now.

McLaws says Vista Needs More Time and Scoble says McLaws is right on Windows Vista ship date. Pirillo has been saying this for several months now, and has been labeled a “nitpicking whiner” for his attacks on Windows Vista’s UI and UX. Welcome to the club, boys - I’m happy to no longer be standing out here alone.