Re: More on Vista pricing in UK

[Paul Bramscher <pfbram_nospam@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

socrates.vicente@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> Hi there. I'm a Portuguese citizen and have been also concerned with
> this issue. Here in Portugal the Vista Ultimate Full Version is even
> more expensive than anywhere reaching the unbelievable price of 669,99
> euros!!! THIS IS A RIP OFF!
>
> I've written a post in my blog which has only been published a few
> days ago because I was waiting to a response from my countrie's
> Microsoft branch, but it never came where I also expose this issue ->
> http://www.digg.com/software/Microsoft_does_not_like_Europeans
>
> Now Portuguese GDP is far lower than British or USA, so I don't know
> what kind of study they have made but we here are really paying a lot
> more (though taxes applied are 21%, this does not account for the huge
> price difference between USA - Europe that Vista's several distros are
> getting. This is even more outrageous when the GBP and the EUR are
> higher than the USD!
>
> We have all to take a stand to stop these stupid price policies that
> always make Europeans pay more!
>
>
> > Kind Regards,
> >
> > Clint McCarthy
> >
> > Response Management Team UK
> >
> > Microsoft Ltd
> >
> > Can anyone tell me WHAT, precisely, has GDP per capita got to do with
> > product pricing? I have NEVER, when employed as a Group Management
> > Accountant, been in ANY organisation that factors in GDP as part of it's
> > pricing structure.
> >
> > SNAKEOIL!

I hear you -- I live in the American Midwest and find Vista/Office too 
expensive myself.  I can't decide whether Microsoft has priced Vista 
beyond my means, or whether the entire economy has raised the bar of 
"middle-class" beyond my means.  But in any case, Microsoft has lost 
touch with reality -- and has produced an operating system for people in 
the same class as the managers that probably directed the project: 
$250,000-500,000 salary/year minimum.  They genuinely don't get it.  As 
people's real earning power and personal savings are shrinking, they 
actually *raise* the cost of their products and services.

The beauty is that the shareholders will eventually get it, as consumers 
vote with their pocketbooks.

I can't say I'm going to buy a Mac -- why would I buy a semi-closed 
version of what I get for free, and lock myself into proprietary hardware?

But I am beginning to wonder whether this might be a good time to buy 
Apple stock.