Microsoft: The Next Investigations

Runt-Abu writes: "Some of the UK's top companies (and some of the not-so-top as well but hey...) are questioning Microsoft's policy on pricing. In an open letter to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry several of the top companies voiced concern at the cost of an extra £880m over a typical four-year investment cycle. No one from Microsoft has commented at this time, given the current state of affairs it's highly likely many companies will not upgrade or seek alternative cheaper solutions." Basically, a large trade group is asking the British Office of Fair Trading (akin to the FTC in the U.S.) to investigate Microsoft's price increases. And Gogl writes: "It appears the attorneys general of 6 more states have voiced concern over Microsoft, particularly regarding the upcoming release of Windows XP. Microsoft and their allies claim that AOL-Time Warner was behind this, which AOL of course denies," pointing also to this piece on Microsoft's changing licensing costs.

No kidding....

[GearheadX]

I can remember a time when buying Windows was a realtivly painless experience. Over the past several years though I've noticed a steady increase in the price of buying the dratted OS. A hundred bucks for the UPGRADE? Whatever their marketing department is smoking, I'd certainly like some; must be some pretty good stuff.

little late

[gergi]

Bah, I've been questioning their pricing for years and I never got a Slashot cover story.

Re:No kidding....

[ethereal]

On the other hand, using Windows has never been particularly pain-free :)

Re:No kidding....

[ackthpt]

Buying: Painless

Installing: "You make a grown man cry"

As far as cost, you gotta expect some increase in the number of $$, just accounting for inflation alone. I consider dropping $3.79 for a bag of potato chips (value of contents ~$0.10), when I once could buy for $1.09, not really all that long ago, as a matter of fact.

FWIW, you get more junk in the box, don't you? Maybe you need a prize in the bottom of the box to take away some of the pain... Maybe a fuzzy Clippy...on second thought...no, I guess that wouldn't really work, would it? (and not just because they're retiring it)

Sun

[Anonymous Coward]

If Sun's marketing department are on the ball, there'll be a pallet of StarOffice CD's arriving on their doorstep tomorrow morning.

Re:No kidding....

[Eccles]

Whatever their marketing department is smoking

$100 bills, I think...