Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 26 May 2009 10:25
Opinion and Analysis
Page 2 of 3
Whether Microsoft is listening to me or not, bucking the deflationary trend and instead RAISING prices seems monumentally stupid to me.
Why hasten the demise of Windows and the rise of Linux by making Windows cost half the price, the same or even more than the cost of the hardware itself?
Apple makes both the hardware and the software... if Microsoft made the PC hardware as well, and wants to charge more for that version than HP, Dell or others, then go for it.
Otherwise... it's time for better pricing. There's no way I can think of that a Microsoft announcement in mid-June of higher-than-Vista pricing for Windows 7 will be welcomed by the world.
Indeed, it would be met by the loudest protests ever faced by Microsoft, making the outrage over Vista seem a mere whimper by comparison.
If Microsoft wants to push consumers, businesses, governments and enterprise into thinking about Linux, Android or Mac OS X, then announcing higher prices is the way to do it!
Why is it that governments, companies and people often do the wrong thing at the wrong time, while under the illusion that it is the right thing at the right time - or that they'll get away with it?
Anyway Microsoft hasn't announced pricing yet. We'll see in mid-June what will happen.
The whole pricing thing seems a bit weird, anyway, given most people who buy a new computer from the likes of Dell, HP, Lenovo and others are in no way paying full retail pricing. What’s the deal here?
Please read on to page 3…
