Microsoft spent millions of dollars advertising its next generation OS 'Windows Vista' in China, in fact the IT juggernaut threw up the biggest Vista Ad on the 421 meter high Jin Mao tower in Shanghai China. However after 2 weeks (Jan 19 to Feb 2) from launch Microsoft managed to sell a mere 244 copies of Windows Vista. Software piracy is rampant in the middle kingdom and a pirated version of Vista sells for a mere $1 on the streets. The following numbers are quoted by Windows Vista chief distributor in Bejing.
They must have sold all those whopping 244 releases to the pirates then. I don't understand why they'd advertise it heavily in a country they know would mostly steal it.
I was watching the news and they stated that Microsoft is going to offer their software in some developing countries for $3 and China was one of the countries mentioned. Supposedly MS wants more people using their software, Windows, etc., by the year 2015.
Didn't see it on the news Andavari but did read about it.
The price of the machines, Microsoft said, would depend on PC makers and what hardware features were included. Industry analysts said basic machines with the $3 Microsoft bundle of programs could be priced at $300 or less. The standard retail price of the software in the $3 bundle, including Windows XP Starter Edition and Office Home and Office 2007, would be about $150.
There are about a billion PC users worldwide, mainly in developed nations. The initial goal of the Microsoft program, working with many industry partners, would be to add another billion PC users by 2015, Mr. Ayala said.
The new Microsoft program is aimed directly at students, through national and local governments that buy Windows PCs for schoolchildren, both for schoolwork and for their personal use at home. For the last five years, Microsoft?s outreach to developing countries has focused on schools and training teachers as well as students through a program called Partners in Learning.
If the programs have the option to be run in english, all I see happening is ebay..
$3 is nothing, but why even pay that when they can get it for free.(keeping in mind a lot of these places are dirt poor)
$3 is nothing, but why even pay that when they can get it for free.(keeping in mind a lot of these places are dirt poor)
$3 is nothing to developed countries with money (although we must realize that there's also dirt poor people in the US as well).
In some countries or perhaps many like you stated they're dirt poor, and I can imagine a scenario such as: "should I spend $3 for MS software to further my education, or $3 to get some food that will keep me alive." I think food would win hands down in every situation. Of course that's just an analogy.