After having faced vociferous criticism over the lack of the Windows 7 Family Pack at the time of new operating system’s launch in Australia, Microsoft has announced the availability of the Family Pack, comprising three licenses for Windows 7 Home Premium, in the country.

The announcement that comes just in time for Christmas shopping, the Family Pack bundle for Australia will be rolled out at a price of AUS$249; which is fairly economical when compared to the $199 retail price of a stand-alone upgrade edition of Windows 7 Home Premium!

At the announced company price, the Windows 7 3-User Family Pack, which can upgrade three 32-bit or 64-bit version home PCs from either Microsoft XP or Vista, will cost $84 per upgrade; thereby considerably bringing down the cost of Windows for multiple home users.

Further, noting that the local $249 price-tag is only the recommended selling price by the company, Jeff Putt, Microsoft Australia’s “Windows Consumer Lead,” has suggested the buyers to shop around for better bargains. Putt added that some retailers are already offering the product for $237.

Putt said: “We encourage buyers to find out the street price, to check online, because many retailers will have a different price. I’ve already noticed a number have lower prices on Windows, so more than ever it really pays to shop around.”