July 1, 2009 8:14 AM

Very disappointed that only PC's purchased in the last week will be covered.

July 10, 2009 11:46 PM updated: July 10, 2009 11:49 PM

Because it's a computer basically screaming for a touch enabled UI and this is supposedly what Windows 7 offers.

I purchased one at behest of a friend and own too many tablet PCs and pdas to count. It is an excellent machine but is crippled severely in its primary capacity (touch) by size of elements on screen.

Merely moving between HP's partial desktop and the real one illustrates my point completely.

I believe you must purchase a full retail copy of Windows 7. I don't see HP offering an upgrade at any cost.

July 13, 2009 8:48 PM

Matt Whitlock said:

mklein said: I don't see HP offering an upgrade at any cost.

Follow the link in the story above for details on HP's Windows 7 upgrade offer.

I was on their website for some time last evening and just rechecked link. I'm first to admit I can space out at times and "not see" what is actually there...but I cannot find what you imply.

 I see only option for people buying computers after like yesterday and only link remotely suggesting other options is actually a link back to microsoft and not hp.

This is one of my beefs with most oems...your copy of windows isn't a real copy and it makes upgrades often real fun. I understand why they do it but it seems like there are 50 better ways of hp getting what it wants without shafting the consumer.

July 13, 2009 10:36 PM

I don't need to see all the info...I'm one of the thousands who bought BEFORE june 9th of 2009.

We want to know hp's upgrade plans for them.

 As it is oem copy installed I believe we are dependent on oem to offer upgrade (if they see fit...just one difference between oem and non-oem copy of os...non-oem is always upgradeable).

I believe there have been issues with upgrades and adding new hardware when using oem windows. Google on it, I believe issues are well documented.

July 18, 2009 8:19 AM

I am really bummed about this (just found out). I bought my HP TouchSmart on June 6th. If i would have known there would be a free upgrade offer for Windows 7, i would have easily waited three weeks to qualify. That really sucks!

August 2, 2009 12:38 PM

Matt Whitlock said:

Ron said: Very disappointed that only PC's purchased in the last week will be covered.

Why's that? Where's the cutoff? If I bought a PC last year do you think it should get a free upgrade? How about my 4 year old laptop?

how about 30, 60, 90 days. this gives a bit of protection to your cutomer base? I have a media center PC in the movie room. it's a year old and i understand a free upgrade is not reasonable to expect on that machine. Just looking for a little love from HP

August 3, 2009 9:52 AM

Ron said:

Matt Whitlock said:

Ron said: Very disappointed that only PC's purchased in the last week will be covered.

Why's that? Where's the cutoff? If I bought a PC last year do you think it should get a free upgrade? How about my 4 year old laptop?

how about 30, 60, 90 days. this gives a bit of protection to your cutomer base? I have a media center PC in the movie room. it's a year old and i understand a free upgrade is not reasonable to expect on that machine. Just looking for a little love from HP

So if it were 30, 60, or 90 days, you'd be hearing the same complaint from people who purchased it 31, 61, or 91 days prior. That's why there's a hard line.

Most companies look at this situation like this. Your decision to buy wasn't based on a free upgrade, and you weren't promised it as a condition of the sale. This happens all the time in tech... take iPhone 3G owners who bought 31 days before the announcement of the 3G S. Same sitation.

That said, in some ways you may have a 14 to 30 day protection from your retailer, since you could technically return it and rebuy during the promo period.

Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.

August 3, 2009 3:25 PM

mklein said: You stick up for the vendors well Matt. I've been burned before by HP Matt....crapware and a WM5 upgrade that I had to remove because it regressed functionality (xda to the rescue). HP is not a nice player. Not announcing upgrade path stinks. These machines were designed for WM7 and we won't get it without spending some exhorbitant amount. It's the reason why all my machines except one run Ubuntu. I'm not a fan of planned obsolescence. I actually think it's kind of evil....and unfortnately "buy a new one each year" is corporate america's motto.

A rather pointed message to say the least, but I really don't think your argument holds much weight. I stick up for vendors when consumers have unrealistic expecations. I stick up for consumers when vendors screw over their customers.

For starters, I can't comment on your PDA experience. I'm sure it happened some time ago, and I'm not sure it's relevant to this situation.

Second, every vendor announced the upgrade path the same day, which was the same day Microsoft announced their upgrade plans. Saying HP is not a nice player would also mean that Dell, Lenovo, and everyone else is also not nice. I also didn't see Dell, Lenovo, Toshiba, or anyone else offer the upgrade retroactively. 

Third, the TouchSmart PCs were designed for Windows Vista. Windows 7 didn't exist when the IQ770 or the IQ 500 series was launched. 

I don't really even see the logic behind your last sentence. How is the launch of Windows 7 representative of planned obsolescence? Because HP doesn't want to buy you a copy of Windows 7 for your month, two month, or year old TouchSmart? Just because Windows 7 is coming out doesn't mean you have to buy a new TouchSmart PC. It will continue to operate just as it has for years to come. 

Let's get realistic here. As long as manufacturers continue to innovate and improve their products (faster processors, bigger hard drives, new software, yada yada), old products will become obsolete.

HP isn't in the wrong here. If I were them, I wouldn't buy every customer a copy of Windows 7 any more than I wouldn't buy every customer a bigger hard drive when Seagate or Western Digital releases new models.

And you don't run Ubuntu because you think planned obsolescence is evil. Ubuntu has a release cycle just like Microsoft, and they are always putting out new versions that make the old ones obsolete. The only reason you're not complaining is because Ubuntu is free. 

Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.

August 3, 2009 5:33 PM updated: August 3, 2009 8:13 PM

mklein said: Actually I run Ubuntu because it is the better OS for 90% of what I do...not because it is 'free'. I would gladly pay $$ for something solid. And elimination of 'planned obsolescence' is a primary reason for many to run linux. Linux continues to support hardware long ignored by manufacturers. One example is a uber-portable web camera I have...Windows no longer supports the camera yet Linux does. As a consumer I appreciate that. I believe if you google you'll find that the touchsmarts developed by HP were in Microsoft's hands day one of Windows7 development...this is their reference platform. I think it in no way unreasonable that consumers expect to see an 'upgrade path'...for some amount of $$. It's not like people are expecting HP to pony up a free upgrade. For every HP product I've owned (like the hx4700 pda they ruined) they have offered upgrades for at least 1-2 years to get next version of WM....why can't Windows7 upgrade be similar?

"Actually I run Ubuntu because it is the better OS for 90% of what I do...not because it is 'free'. I would gladly pay $$ for something solid."

If you like Ubuntu, that's great. Enjoy it. I have three Linux machines (one Ubuntu, one openSUSE, and one running freeNAS). Other than the freeNAS one, I personally wouldn't run either Ubuntu or openSUSE if it wasn't free. What's great is that there are different choices for everyone.

"And elimination of 'planned obsolescence' is a primary reason for many to run linux. Linux continues to support hardware long ignored by manufacturers. One example is a uber-portable web camera I have...Windows no longer supports the camera yet Linux does. As a consumer I appreciate that."

The difference with Linux is that it's, for the most part, community developed by those who volunteer their time, that's why it often works longer with legacy hardware. If you put out PC peripheral X for Windows 95, would you still pay lots of money to write, test, and support Windows 7 drivers for the 20 people who still use your peripheral?

"I believe if you google you'll find that the touchsmarts developed by HP were in Microsoft's hands day one of Windows7 development...this is their reference platform. "

??? Because Microsoft chose the TouchSmart as the reference platform for Win 7 development does not mean that HP designed the product for Windows 7. If anything, you just proved my point. HP could not have designed the TouchSmart for Windows 7 if it existed before day one of Win 7 development.

"I think it in no way unreasonable that consumers expect to see an 'upgrade path'...for some amount of $$. It's not like people are expecting HP to pony up a free upgrade."

What on Earth are you talking about? You can easily upgrade to Windows 7 when it's released on October 22nd. The Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade is $119.  You can pre-order it now, or buy it in store when it comes out. MS even offered the upgrade for $49 to those who pre-ordered it early for a time.

"For every HP product I've owned (like the hx4700 pda they ruined) they have offered upgrades for at least 1-2 years to get next version of WM....why can't Windows7 upgrade be similar? "

Because unlike Windows Mobile, HP doesn't need to tailor a build of Windows specifically for your computer and distribute it. They'll obviously offer Win 7 drivers for the TouchSmart. So you get your copy of Windows from wherever you want, and just download the drivers from their site if specific ones are required.

Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.

August 4, 2009 4:27 PM

Barry said: I was horrified to learn that no HP TOUCHSMART TX2 Multi-touch Notebooks are eligible for the upgrade plan, instead its the older Pavilion TX Tablets that are eligible. WHY??? Is there a mistake? I bought mine just 2 weeks ago and I'm in the United Kingdom. This his horrible because these laptops work very well Windows 7 and the multi-touch screen is right for the new OS.

Looking at the list, it calls out the Pavillion TX2 series. Well, there is no current Pavillion laptop with a model number starting with TX2. So, my gut feeling is that it's a typo. Call the HP sales line and get confirmation.

Mind Over Matt'er - Technology musings, opinion, and more straight from TechLore's head geek.