Unlike Vista, People Actually Stand in Line to Buy Windows 7

Amazon has put Windows 7 up for preorder in the UK, and the sales so far have been amazing. In the first 8 hours, BBC reports, more copies of Windows 7 were sold than those of Windows Vista in its entire 17 week pre-order period.

Yes, Windows 7 is somewhat of a quick fix for the unsuccessful Vista, but it’s a solid quick fix, and Windows users, who haven’t had a chance to switch to a really good new Windows OS since Windows XP can’t wait to get their hands on Windows 7.

Now, we know that Windows 7 has been selling great in the US and in Japan. After all, pre-orders offer a significant discount to Windows 7’s price (the exact amount varies from country to country).

But good results in the UK and the rest of Europe carry a special weight; first of all, due to European Commission’s anti-trust ruling, in Europe Windows 7 will ship without a browser. It also requires a clean install, and – depending how you look at it – the pre-order versions are cheaper than the US pre-order versions. For comparison, Windows 7 Home Premium E is £50 (approx. $82), and Windows 7 Professional E costs £99.99 (approx $163); in the US, customers were able to pre-order upgrade versions much cheaper: Windows 7 Home Premium for $49.99, and Windows 7 Professional for $99.99.

Read more: mashable.com