Microsoft up to its old tricks with Windows 8 versions
Linked by David Adams on Fri 2nd Mar 2012 15:55 UTC, submitted by sawboss
Windows By all early reports, Windows 8 is going to be a good operating system. Microsoft's hegemony may be crumbling in a mobile computing onslaught, but its core empire remains undimmed. However, whereas Windows 7 had three versions, Windows 8 will apparently be ballooning to 9 versions.
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RE[2]: Dun' matter.
by sukru on Fri 2nd Mar 2012 16:24 UTC in reply to "RE: Dun' matter."
sukru
Member since:
2006-11-19

It is basic economics. If people are willing to pay more for your product, you should enable them to do so.

By segmenting the features (like restricting Media Center to higher editions), they enable customers to pay more for more features.

It's like going to a theme park (like Universal Studios), and paying more for front of line passes. The park will still do the same thing every day (i.e.: the cost is fixed), but some will pay more, some less. And they also provide cheaper options (coupons), so that who are not able to afford will still be locked in to the product (starter edition).

Reply Parent Score: 1

RE[3]: Dun' matter.
by cmost on Sun 4th Mar 2012 11:11 in reply to "RE[2]: Dun' matter."
cmost Member since:
2006-07-16

I would agree with you, however, you're forgetting something important. People aren't simply paying more for the features they want with higher Windows versions. That would only be true if Microsoft sold a single base version of Windows and then provided supplemental add-on packs with additional features. Instead, by fragmenting Windows, Microsoft forces users to pay for a perfectly good license of a crippled version of Windows (read Windows Starter Edition) then they have to pay AGAIN to upgrade that to a functional version of Windows. In the future, if they find they need Domain or other corporate features,then they have to pay for ANOTHER license for a still higher edition of Windows. Microsoft is double and triple dipping and laughing all the way to the bank. And users are too ignorant of what's really going on to be outraged.

Reply Parent Score: 8