Engadget brightened up a slow news day on Friday with leaked memo from Best Buy that offers a number of Windows 7 details.
Most notable is the fact that a the memo puts a date on when people can start buying Vista-based machines and qualify for a free upgrade to Windows 7. According to the memo, Jun. 26 is the scheduled date.
The memo also said on Jun. 26, Best Buy will start preselling upgrade versions of Windows 7 Home Premium for US$49, and Windows 7 Professional for US$99 via its Web site. It is not clear whether those are standard or promotional prices, although the memo noted that the pre-order program will run only for 16 days.
Microsoft's senior vice president Bill Veghte did say in an interview last week that the software maker was considering requests from Vista owners to have a free or cheaper way to upgrade to Windows 7, so perhaps this preorder option might be that program.
Best Buy also offers its marketing pitch for Windows 7 in the memo. "This new operating system isn't just a 'Vista that works' program--it is a new operating system with improved productivity, functionality and creativity that uses less computer resources."
A Best Buy representative was not immediately available to comment on the memo's authenticity.
When it announced Oct. 22 as the official ship date for Windows 7 last week, Microsoft also confirmed it planned to have such a tech guarantee program, however, the company did not say when it would start. A Microsoft representative said on Friday the company had nothing more to add about the timing of the program.
Update 11:05 a.m. PT: At post time, Best Buy did not respond but ZDNet Asia's sister site CNET News received an independent confirmation of the memo, which was released on Jun. 1. A copy of the memo is enclosed below.
This article was first published as a blog post on CNET News.
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