UPDATE 24/11/2021
We have received a statement from Microsoft although it doesn’t tell us whether the licence keys on sale at a number of South African retailers are legitimate.
“Piracy is an industry-wide issue and, as with any online purchase, we recommend customers buy from the Microsoft Store and other recognised outlets and brands they trust, and to be suspicious of significantly low prices,” a Microsoft spokesperson said.
What we do find interesting is a note that was added to the statement as additional information.
The note reads, “Standalone versions of the retail packages of Windows 11 will be available for sale in 2022 (intended for devices that meet the minimum specifications but do not have Windows 10 installed) and pricing will be shared at that time.”
As it is still 2021, we recommend contacting the retailers below regarding the legitimacy of these Windows 11 licences before purchasing. We have requested more clarity on the licences and will provide further updates as we receive them.
Original story
Despite not being available on Microsoft’s website, South Africans can seemingly purchase a licence key for Windows 11 Professional and Windows 11 Home through a number of retailers.
This is rather strange and we’ve asked Microsoft South Africa for confirmation that the license keys being sold through these retailers are legitimate. Unfortunately by time of publication Microsoft SA had not yet responded to our requests for comment.
The retailers who have listings for Windows 11 licence keys are:
We’ve added asterisks to Bidorbuy and TechRestored because the pricing for the operating system is far below the price listed by the other three retailers on that list. While we’re usually in favour of a good deal, these prices are so low we’re concerned they aren’t legitimate. You know what they say, “if something is too good to be true, it’s probably not”.
We’re not saying these keys aren’t real, but when everybody else is charging upwards of R2 000, a listing for R130 is suspicious.
We’ve contacted Evetech to verify that the licence keys it is selling are legitimate and we we’re assured by two sales representatives that they are “pretty sure” the keys are legitimate as they are obtained through Microsoft.
Much like the entirety of the launch surrounding Windows 11, this is a confusing set of circumstances. Windows 11 is currently being rolled out as a free upgrade to Windows 10. The rollout is happening rather slowly but Microsoft did say last week that it was going to be ramping up the rollout.
“Today, based on the positive rollout update experience and user feedback we have seen to date, we are advancing the pace of the rollout faster than we previously anticipated, and are now making the Windows 11 upgrade more broadly available to eligible Windows 10 devices,” wrote John Cable, vice president of Program Management, Windows Servicing and Delivery.
Of course, some folks may not be using Windows 10 so being able to purchase Windows 11 for your new PC is convenient and we’re sure some enterprises are looking to purchase licences in bulk. The fact that Microsoft isn’t selling Windows 11 through its website though is just strange to us.
While the urge to upgrade to Windows 11 may be strong, we recommend waiting for the ability to upgrade from Windows 10 via the operating system’s update feature in Settings.
Until we’ve heard back from Microsoft regarding the legitimacy of the licence keys on sale in South Africa, we recommend you shop with caution.
