Prices of OEM Windows

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Guest

I asked this at the web seminar "Protecting Your Business: New Anti-Piracy
Efforts & Licensing for System Builders" and was referred here:

Given activation, Why hasn't the price of OS (ie.XP Home vs 98) dropped for
system builders?

Let me elaborate. I have been making PCs for 14 years, 7 full-time. Prices
of Microsoft's OS in that time have the OEM OSs have dropped maybe $15-20 for
end user product (95, 98, ME, XPH). I was worried when XPH and "Activation"
started because of the hype (the ideas of 'big brother') BUT I was very
hopeful. Since Microsoft now had a copy-proof OS, my cost will surely be cut
in half.

Obviously, this didn't happen and will never. Why?

PLEASE, serious responses only from people who know.
 
First, it is not a "copy-proof OS" and never was intended to be.
Activation was largely intended to stop casual piracy.
Casual piracy is when family and friends share a single copy on multiple
computers often not realizing they are breaking the EULA.
To a large degree that has worked.
Activation was never intended to stop the determined pirates.
Thieves will always find a way to steal.

As for a price drop, there are probably many answers.
The one that is obvious to me is the price is the same or close since at
least Windows 95.
Taking into account inflation, no price increase is really a price cut.
Another reason is Microsoft like other businesses is in it to make money for
the stockholders.
They demand a return and help keep the price at whatever the market will
bear.
Basic capitalism.
 
Depoman said:
I asked this at the web seminar "Protecting Your Business: New
Anti-Piracy Efforts & Licensing for System Builders" and was referred
here:

Given activation, Why hasn't the price of OS (ie.XP Home vs 98)
dropped for system builders?

Let me elaborate. I have been making PCs for 14 years, 7 full-time.
Prices of Microsoft's OS in that time have the OEM OSs have dropped
maybe $15-20 for end user product (95, 98, ME, XPH). I was worried
when XPH and "Activation" started because of the hype (the ideas of
'big brother') BUT I was very hopeful. Since Microsoft now had a
copy-proof OS, my cost will surely be cut in half.

Obviously, this didn't happen and will never. Why?

PLEASE, serious responses only from people who know.
Click to expand...

Plain and simple, GREED. It is the major motivating force behind any
corporation.

Microsoft has made billions of dollars, during the World comuputer
explosion, but now that new markets for their software are very hard to
find, MS needs to squeeze it's existing markets for every penny it can
get. With little or no real competition, market forces don't act as a
check on their greed as in markets that are truely competitive, so MS
greed knows no bounds.

As Linux becomes more and more consumer friendly, MS will have no choice
but to react to market forces, but until that happens, MS's greed will
go on unchecked, and you will have to pay them every penny that they can
squeeze out of you. Of course their unchecked greed will eventually
backfire on them through all of the customer ill-will that they are
generating today, but stockholders tend not to think long term, and MS
needs to show them them bottom-line today, so they will continue to act
in their short-term interests, at the expense of their long term
interests.

--
Peace!
Kurt
Self-anointed Moderator
microscum.pubic.windowsexp.gonorrhea
http://microscum.com/mscommunity
"Trustworthy Computing" is only another example of an Oxymoron!
"Produkt-Aktivierung macht frei"
 
Of course, nothing is 100% copy proof. "With XP Home MS has successfully
stopped casual priacy" Better?

Market forces though I disagree. Maybe on the backs of the smaller OEMs and
what we must pay, but not the Dells. My company will soon not need to buy
OEM OS. Fine by me, I don't need to build PCs...I'm busy enough. Eventually
MS will only sell OEM product to Dell...that will be fun to watch.
 
Microsoft Windows XP HOME Edition With Service Pack 2 -OEM
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=37-102-151&DEPA=6

Microsoft Windows XP Professional With Service Pack 2 -OEM
http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?description=37-102-153&DEPA=6

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

Be Smart! Protect Your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/default.mspx

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

:

| Of course, nothing is 100% copy proof. "With XP Home MS has successfully
| stopped casual priacy" Better?
|
| Market forces though I disagree. Maybe on the backs of the smaller OEMs and
| what we must pay, but not the Dells. My company will soon not need to buy
| OEM OS. Fine by me, I don't need to build PCs...I'm busy enough. Eventually
| MS will only sell OEM product to Dell...that will be fun to watch.
 
I'll just assure my dentists, attourneys, physicians, and retail stores they
can do the same business with linux. No problem with HIPAA or any of their
clients right? Be serious will you?
Click to expand...

I hate to tell you this by Linux has nothing to do with HIPAA, security
and access are what you need to be concerned about with HIPAA. You could
easily do a medical center/office on a Linux platform and be 100%
compliant - now, you couldn't always import Word/Excel documents, but the
office would easily be HIPAA compliant.
 
I'll just assure my dentists, attourneys, physicians, and retail stores they
can do the same business with linux. No problem with HIPAA or any of their
clients right? Be serious will you?
 
No, that is the license agreement specifically for software downloadable
from that Novell site, and NOVELL SuSE Linux Professional 9.2 Version -
RETAIL is not available there.
Click to expand...

Have you opened the box yet?
 
the only eula i had to click "i agree" to was the macromedia one when
installing suse . and the only legal info on the packageing or in the 2
really thick manuals is the gnu general public licence ?
 
Why do you hate to tell me that? Ok, so it's secure. Great. Now what? I
know it will not work with software that my clients use to do their daily
business. Why? They don't make it for linux. That's what I mean by be
serious. Linux is not going to change the world, we've all waited too long
for that.

Look, sorry to all you alternative OS people and no offense. I hope linux
takes over the planet. I asked a Microsoft OEM question, I'd like to hear
about that, please.
 
Why do you hate to tell me that? Ok, so it's secure. Great. Now what? I
know it will not work with software that my clients use to do their daily
business. Why? They don't make it for linux. That's what I mean by be
serious. Linux is not going to change the world, we've all waited too long
for that.
Click to expand...

I agree with the applications problems, I've been looking at a way around
the Windows desktop for a few month - so far I've been able to run Office
XP Professional on Linux without any real problems and even
Quicken/QuickBooks, but I'm sure that newer version will require more
updates to make them run well on Linux.

I was just commenting about HIPAA as I have to secure access and data for
several medical facilities and it has little to do with the OS.
Look, sorry to all you alternative OS people and no offense. I hope linux
takes over the planet. I asked a Microsoft OEM question, I'd like to hear
about that, please.
Click to expand...

I'm actually on both sides of the fence, as a MS partner and ISV I have to
look at alternatives in order to stay in business with todays market and
technology.

As for prices of OEM windows - assuming XP:

I buy OEM XP Prof for $145 from the local vendor.
I buy OEM Office 2003 SBE for $241 from the local vendor.
 
I have dentists that use patient software that will never be supported under
linux...

Thanks
 
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