Windows 7 is the hottest operating system of the holiday season.  It has seen significant traction, besting Windows Vista by as much as 234 percent in initial sales.  One key factor that contributed to this success was the plethora of deals offered.  From Windows parties (which gave you a free copy of Windows 7 Ultimate edition) to the pre-order program, there were plenty of ways to get a free copy of Windows 7, or at least one at a bargain.

However, one of those bargains has just now unexpectedly terminated, just as the holiday shopping season was picking up.  In the U.S., the “Family Pack” — a special bundle deal that offers three Windows 7 Home Premium upgrade licenses for $149.99 — is now listed as “sold out”.

Many customers are confused as they expected the deal would last longer. Microsoft did, however, initially indicate that the deal would only last for a limited time, “until supplies last”.  Apparently in each country where the family pack was offered, Microsoft allotted a set number of units, and once that number was sold the deal was pulled.  Still, that hasn’t stopped holiday shoppers from stating that the discontinuation is ruining their holiday shopping plans.

Other countries that have received or will be receiving the offer include “Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.”  Australia also is receiving the Family Pack, which has only now begun shipping, a month and a half after sales started in the U.S. and elsewhere.

The discontinuation is triggering an influx in sales of priced up backstocked or imported packs (from countries where there’s still availability).  While legitimate retailers like Amazon.com, Buy.com, and Newegg.com aren’t having a part in such nonsense, on smaller sites, packs are being offered from between $250 to $290 with shipping to the U.S.  That’s still a good deal, considering three normal upgrade licenses of Home Premium will cost approximately $360.

Competitor Apple has traditionally offered permanent bundled license discounts on its operating systems, including its new OS Snow Leopard.  Of course, Apple updates on a shorter cycle, meaning that you’ll by more OS upgrades over a five year period, and its operating systems lack certain features, such as the ability to play most modern video games.  Microsoft had raised some people’s hopes of a permanent bundle discount, though, when Windows 7 team members said that they would consider making the deal permanent based on feedback and response to the temporary offer.

It’s still possible that the deal could be reinstated at some point.  The Windows 7 team has not commented on the discontinuation on their blog yet, but they’ve always urged users to voice their mind, so feel free to leave a comment for them here if you have an opinion.

Students can still pick up a single, much cheaper license of Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional for only $29.99 via win741.com.

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