Microsoft: Australians think our pricing is fair

[Golden]

If Australian prices for Microsoft products weren't fair, customers wouldn't buy those products because there is now a wide range of alternatives available in the market, according to Microsoft Australia managing director Pip Marlow.

Microsoft: Australians think our pricing is fair | ZDNet

 

[whs]

This is the old story all over and with any product. They get as much money out of you as the customers pay.

Why do I pay 35% more for a Mercedes in Germany where I live 10 miles from the plant than in Florida where I am 5000 miles away.

In Germany, prices are usually the same amount in Euros as they are in Dollars in the US - but the Euro is 1.3 times the Dollar.

 

[Britton30]

Colin I think you Aussies are badly treated by most all pricing. I think NZ is worse. I do feel bad for you mates down under.

 

[whs]

There are few countries where prices are as low as in the US - except for food where Germany is very cheap. That's why I always buy all my tech items in the US and lug them to Germany - until customs catches up with me. But you are allowed to bring 350 Euros ($450) worth of stuff.

 

[msongs]

there are free alternatives to almost everything microsoft offers...

contrary to popular myth, MS is NOT a monopoly. Try apple or linux. there are tons of free software doing almost everything MS does.

fight the power! use the alternatives

 

[whs]

contrary to popular myth, MS is NOT a monopoly. Try apple or linux. there are tons of free software doing almost everything MS does.

fight the power! use the alternatives

I agree with you - there are alternatives. Still, MS has 90% of the market and that is scary. I run Linux Mint now 50% of the time to get used to it - just in case.

PC sales should get unbundeld from the OS. Then things would change. I am anyhow amazed that the govermment agencies in the US and the EU have not yet imposed the unbundeling.

 

[lehnerus2000]

PC sales should get unbundeld from the OS. Then things would change. I am anyhow amazed that the govermment agencies in the US and the EU have not yet imposed the unbundeling.

Maybe an OS ballot screen?

 

[jimbo45]

If Australian prices for Microsoft products weren't fair, customers wouldn't buy those products because there is now a wide range of alternatives available in the market, according to Microsoft Australia managing director Pip Marlow.

Microsoft: Australians think our pricing is fair | ZDNet

Hi there
Most Aussies I know wouldn't even think the pricing was fair even if Ms PAID them to have the products----they are the one set of people on this planet I know who have a very low tolerance to B/S --Good for them.

That article sounds as if the author invented the phrase "Turkeys would vote in favour of Thanksgiving".

Now I don't know how Ms marketing arrives at its pricing strategy but having wildly differing prices in different areas for stuff that can be digitally downloaded -- so no transport / distribution costs involved -- doesn't seem right to me at all. Local taxes are another issue but the price differentials are often much greater than can be explained by local taxes and in any case often colleges / educational establishments can get this sort of software tax free as "educational material".

Having wildly fluctuating price differentials just ENCOURAGES piracy - even the Legal kind where you purchase from one jurisdiction (cheaper) and import into another. If you do this by SNAIL MAIL (OK takes longer) you won't be charged importation tax if you declare it's "Educational Material".

As far as unbundling -- IBM years ago was forced to do that with its Mainframe systems (S/370 series) -- I think IBM MVS3.8J was the last major release of one of their OS'es that was "Bundled" with the hardware. There was a HUGE Court case over this to get IBM to unbundle the OS so probably if there are any clever lawyers on these Forums maybe they could come up with Bundling the OS with the PC is either illegal or should be offered as a choice to the customer.

(Screenshot -- IBM Mainframe MVS3.8J running on Hercules emulator with a TSO session running too on a Laptop !!!! -- this OS used to run on large Mainframes in the 1970-1980's often Water cooled and occupied a large room -- shows how compute power has advanced -- a Tiny laptop can run this stuff better even in emulation mode than the original "Big Iron" did Natively back then).

Cheers
jimbo

 

[mjf]

IMO-----
Price gouging is price gouging.
Arbitrage is arbitrage.
If it's legal companies will engage in it.
In most states of the US price gouging is illegal.
In Australia many international companies engage in price gouging.
As far as MS is concerned as an OS and its Office product it has become an industry standard and businesses want IT compatibility.