Microsoft plans cheap XP package

Author: Joe Martin
Published: 19th April 2007
Comments (22) Stumble
Microsoft plans cheap XP package

Microsoft founder and geeky billionaire, Bill Gates, is expected to soon be revealing a new project that will seek to promote the use of computers and technology as education aids in developing countries.

The company is expected to announce the move today in Beijing as part of its on-going 'Unlimited Potential' project. The new project has involved partnerships with many other companies in an effort to make low cost software available to those who would benefit in emerging countries.

The cornerstone of this initiative is the Student Innovation Suite from Microsoft, which will include XP Starter Edition, Office Home and Student 2007 and Microsoft Math 3.0, as well as Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft Office.

The Student Innovation Suite will only be available to selected governments which already have projects to supply PCs to students, but will retail to them at only £1.50 ($3).

By 2008 it is expected the project will grow to include all countries which have been defined as low or middle income by The World Bank.

On top of this, over 200 more Innovation Centres will be built by Microsoft across 35 countries by 2009. The centres will focus on helping to develop local skills and creating jobs.

Microsoft is also reported to have made a special partnership with India, where it will work with the government to encourage economic development and establish an online 'Employability Portal' that will be available to graduates by the end of this year.

It should be noted though that Microsoft is not seen as completely altruistic and it has been accused of simply trying to find clever ways into these markets in order to undermine the presence of Open Source software such as Linux and Open Office, which are free to distribute.

More infortmation on the Student Innovation Suite can be found here.

If you've got an opinion on Microsoft's continuing charitable efforts, why not let us know in the forums?
Quote DougEdey 19th April 2007, 13:18
So they're stopping XP standard in 2008 but making a new edition untill 2009?
Quote CardJoe 19th April 2007, 13:27
Seems like.
Quote DougEdey 19th April 2007, 13:30
Is it just me or does that seem like a waste?
Quote Fod 19th April 2007, 13:37
nah starter edition has been aroound for a good while now. what's new is the licensing package and the low price.

tbh i dont see this displacing piracy or open source, especially in east asian countries.
Quote quack 19th April 2007, 13:39
Well Microsoft wouldn't exactly be making a fortune out of the countries this programme is for, and they'll still be supporting XP until 2014 anyway. When SP3 gets released, that'll be extended another 5 years. :)
Quote steveo_mcg 19th April 2007, 13:56
$3 is still a lot more than a pirated version when you live on only a few dollars a week. Barely seems worth it, would free not be a more suitable way of getting people hooked licensed. From there try and change the mind set which says better to pirate than bother with a license.
Quote inflatable 19th April 2007, 14:29
If you you live on only a few dollars a week I doubt you can afford a PC or even have any need for it.. So what's the point?
Quote DXR_13KE 19th April 2007, 14:32
i think this is good in the way it is cheap for us, but it is still expensive for some countries and linux would be a better bet.
Quote Dr. Strangelove 19th April 2007, 14:33
Quote:
It should be noted though that Microsoft is not seen as completely altruistic and it has been accused of simply trying to find clever ways into these markets in order to undermine the presence of Open Source software such as Linux and Open Office, which are free to distribute.


hehe ofcource it's an attempt to get into growing markets, just like apple used to sell their mac's cheap to education institutions (don't know if they still do). But considering the fact that say half the people here on Bit-tech (who are ofcource tech savy :D) still can't be bothered to console hack their way through Linux, how are you going to expect people who have never touched a computer to know how. (yes yes I know I'm going to get flamed about how easy Linux is to install now, but I'm sorry it just does not beat windows).

All in all i think this is a great initiative sure MS might be fishing for new markets but in the mean time they will at least help people who might otherwise not get helped.
Quote Lazarus Dark 19th April 2007, 14:36
y'know, Bill, there are low income areas in your own country. The public schools here in my city are so poor that I hear the home schooling rate is approaching 25% for the high schools, because the public schools just aren't teaching anything. Maybe Bill should start in his backyard if he wants to save the world; there are plenty of stupid americans.
Quote CardJoe 19th April 2007, 14:50
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Strangelove
...considering the fact that say half the people here on Bit-tech (who are ofcource tech savy :D) still can't be bothered to console hack their way through Linux...

Pfft, we can't even be bothered to upgrade to Vista!
Quote jezmck 19th April 2007, 15:08
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazarus Dark
there are plenty of stupid americans.
QFT. ;)

also, giving people computers doesn't make them any less stupid.
Quote Dr. Strangelove 19th April 2007, 15:10
Quote:
Originally Posted by CardJoe
Pfft, we can't even be bothered to upgrade to Vista!
LOL true true
Quote Swafeman 19th April 2007, 15:19
Im going to import a copy

hehe
Quote BioSniper 19th April 2007, 16:49
So, if they can do this for other people, why not do it for everyone?
The reason people generally pirate is high costs, lower the cost across the board and more people will purchase it. Of course there will still be those which are cheap buggers and do it anyway.
Quote Tyinsar 19th April 2007, 17:02
If these nations grow up on Linux then, when they become major economic powers (and that time is coming), MS dies. This is only available through MS selected channels - NOT to individuals. Therefore:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Article
... Microsoft ... trying ... to undermine the presence of Open Source software such as Linux and Open Office, ...
That is all.
Quote <A88> 19th April 2007, 17:15
Quote:
Originally Posted by inflatable
If you you live on only a few dollars a week I doubt you can afford a PC or even have any need for it.. So what's the point?
If you'd read the article you'd note that it's for governments who purchase computers for educational environments and so it would be the countries as a whole buying the software, not its individual citizens.
Seems like a fair enough plan to me...the open source software out there is pretty good but having a slimline XP instead trains the users to the Windows environment which they're more likely to encounter in employment. It's good to see projects like this and the OLPC initiative gaining more steam. I can see the ethical question of this over Open Source alternatives, but at £1.50 it's incredibly cheap for Windows and Office, and to be honest I'm not one of those who thinks that everything should be Open Source...it just doesn't work.

<A88>
Quote Ramble 19th April 2007, 17:35
Who cares about the emerging nations, I want Office for £1.50.
Quote eddtox 20th April 2007, 10:12
So, this shows that MS could give away XP for £1.50 now. Why do we still have to pay through the nose for it? TBH if i could get genuine XP for £30 I would... Instead i still have to fork out ~£150 for retail. I wonder why people pirate!
Quote <A88> 20th April 2007, 10:21
On a worldwide scale it's obvious they can't afford to sell that package for £1.50, that'd only just cover the production costs...they're doing this for large-scale market penetration- governments there aren't going to pay the through-the-nose prices we can afford in the West so they're offering them attractively priced retail software to encourage the adoption of Windows and its products instead of giving up the fight to Open Source alternatives. If Microsoft sold the software for £1.50 over here nobody would care if they were having a legit or pirated copy anymore because the prices would almost be parallel. Considering the products often cost billions to make anyway, they're not going to make it all back giving it away at that price.

<A88>
Quote eddtox 20th April 2007, 11:03
I'm sorry, I dont hink I expressed myself very clearly in my previous post. What I meant to say was that at this point in the product's lifespan MS has probably recovered all of the production costs and made a tidy profit, so in my view it would be a good idea, even from a financial point of view, to slash back XP prices to the £30-50 mark. There are many people who don't pirate because they want to, they pirate because they can't afford to pay £150 for software. However, if the price was lower they might make an effort and go genuine, thus increasing the number of copies MS sells. This increase in sales could make up for the drop in price. It would also give MS a bit of a "halo effect" as they would be seen as "not charging more than they have to". That's just my 2 cents worth, though.

-ed out
Quote zndkwin 20th April 2007, 21:22
Why are people in the "developing countries" going to pay $3 for a crippled windows when they can get a full working windows for $1.50?
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