Microsoft UK Pricing

[Joan Archer]

Just picked this up.

Starting July 1, Microsoft’s raising substantially the prices it will be charging its UK business customers for software and services. Here’s what you need to know.

Get ready for Microsoft's coming UK price increase | ZDNet

 

[z3r010]

Volume license increase, so it shouldn't affect many here.

 

[Joan Archer]

Hopefully not, I'd just seen it though and thought some might be interested, lets hope they don't try sneaking price increases to the rest of us.

 

[jimbo45]

Hi there
seems strange that this "just happens" on a day when the GBP is at its highest level against the EUR for over 4 years.

I'm sure this is just "Coincidence" but it's a strange one.

It will only effect large organisations who probably can source (legally of course) the software and services from Ms in another country or use legitimate Ms services supplied by licensed 3rd parties.

Consumers don't have it so easy to avoid these increases but apparently its not going to hit them anyway.

Cheers
jimbo

 

[mjf]

As far as I am aware MS haven't had uniform global pricing for OS software for non Corporate users. In Australia we pay top $ for Windows 7. I don't believe you can purchase it from the US MS shop. I stand to be corrected.

 

[jimbo45]

As far as I am aware MS haven't had uniform global pricing for OS software for non Corporate users. In Australia we pay top $ for Windows 7. I don't believe you can purchase it from the US MS shop. I stand to be corrected.

Hi there
one of the FEW things the EU (and EEU Iceland, Norway etc) are doing is to stop this type of practice which stops you sourcing your components from ANY licensed trader in the community.

A woman running a small pub in Portsmouth in the UK managed to get a ruling AGAINST SKY TV who tried to stop her showing Sat 15.00 afternnon footie in her pub using a dish and satellite sports channel package LEGALLY purchased elsewhere in the E.U.

The only legitimate controls a govt should have over this stuff are

1) no Child Pornography
2) they set the tax rate (and if you don't like their rate you chuck them out at the next set of elections).
3) illegal weapons / drugs.

Other than that you should be free to shop wherever you choose -- and if local suppliers dont get competitive with their prices -- tough.

Interesting that even the lawyers are waking up to the fact that spending hours in court on pointless court cases doesn't do them any good in the long run. The Internet genie is out of the bottle and can't be put back in it.

A recent absurd example was when Apple, SAMSUNG and HTC were having their usual "lawyers fest" and the galaxy tablet (newest one) was banned for a short period in Holland (of all places !!).

Belgian traders in Antwerp simply made up the difference and very soon the ban was dropped. !!

The Movie and TV industry needs also to wake up to the fact that you can't release a show / series / film in the US and then only let Europe and Asia have it a year later. -- It's not going to happen anymore -- whether via "Pirate Bay" or other yet to be invented delivery mechanisms. Technology is here to stay and will always outsmart lawyers etc so they need to EMBRACE it and work WITH the consumer not against them.


So what the main thrust here is that you SHOULD be able to get Windows or anything else including services from ANYWHERE that it's feasable to do so --and the Internet is a GLOBAL facility.

It works for corporates (if it didn't 75% of the Indian I.T industry would be having a terrible time if they couldn't supply non domestic markets for example !! ) so why should Consumers not have the same rights.


Cheers
jimbo

 

[mjf]

If a country doesn't have strong anti gouging laws then I think some Corporations will take advantage of it.