MS Plans Low-Cost Windows for Brazil

Atryn writes "According to this C|NET article, Microsoft is planning to release its XP Starter Edition in Brazil. Could the pressure of Brazil's overtures toward Linux be forcing Microsoft Brasil to compete?"

Comments

Big Fight

[fembots]

The Brazilian government has launched an initiative called "PC Conectado" (Connected PC), via which it hopes to sell up to one million computers (each costs $300 - $400 U.S.) to lower-middle income Brazilians this year. The cost of the PCs will be partially subsidized by the government.

I wonder if MS can justify $400 million to secure 1 million Brazilian users. They might as well pay for the PCs with pre-installed Windows OS free of charge.

Is this excessive even by MS standard?

Re:Big Fight

[Dan Farina]

This is, by Microsoft's standards, a relatively cheap way to keep application writers from targeting *NIX platforms. No move is too excessive, because an operating system without applications will never become a serious competitor. If a country's population moves into the computer age accustomed to and expecting applications for the *NIX platform, then Windows will lose the big card of application availability and have to compete on technical merits instead.

It's much easier to simply prevent those applications from becoming major in the first place.

Starter Edition?

[agm]

Features cut from the various Starter Editions have included support for multiple user accounts; networked printers; the ability to personalize desktops with multiple looks and feels for different users; and support for screen resolutions above 800 X 600 DPI (dots per inch). Starter Edition also prevents users from launching more than three applications simultaneously.>

I didn't realise the Starter Edition was so crippled. I would consider that barely useful!

Re:Starter Edition?

[i_should_be_working]

The thing in the technology world that I absolutely hate the worst is when a company expends extra effort to make a product worse. It make me really despise them.

I would understand if the low budget version was worse because they *didn't* put as much effort into it. But they actually paid someone to make it worse on purpose. I know this practice has been around for years. I just wanted to complain now.

Anyway, go Brasil!

Re:Starter Edition?

[NanoGator]

"have you ever used windows 2000 for more than 5 minutes on a 128 meg system? I have and even running more than one app at once is PAINFUL"

I have. The reason it's 'painful' is because I have it better today.

I'm not saying you're wrong, but you'd be surprised how relative 'long' is to a computer user, especially one who hasn't spent hours or something spiffier. Don't forget what the BBS days were like.

Uhhh

[Eric(b0mb)Dennis]

If it didn't work in Asia, why would it work in Brazil?

What're the odds...

[menace3society]

Everyone always talks about how, especially in third-world type places, computers with Linux pre-installed just end up getting an illegal copy of Windows put on, and either ignoring or erasing the linux installation. How much does anyone want to bet that the same thing happens with XP Starter Edition?

Sure, maybe, maybe some people just use Starter Edition for a while, then realize its limitations and decide to upgrade. If they can hardly afford a $300 computer, will they really be able to afford a $260 OS upgrade? Chances are, they'll talk to everyone about how they need an upgrade, until the kid from city hears about it and comes along with a CD-case full of cracked Windows CDs and installs it for $10.

If you take a step back and think about it...

[3770]

There would be no extra cost for Microsoft to sell them the full version for the same price. And they would be far more competitive with Linux if they did.

The only reason to sell a crippled version is to not undermine the market in the rich countries.

If they sell the same version for a substantially lower price MS will have a hard time explaining that difference.

I guess that this is obvious really.

But even if it is obvious, when you think about it, I believe it is enough of a smoke screen for people in rich countries to not question the prices of the full versions of Windows.

Compete?

[Frodo Crockett]

Could the pressure of Brazil's overtures toward Linux be forcing Microsoft Brasil to compete?

You call a crippled OS that can only run three foreground apps at once competition? They're going to be laughed out of every government office they set foot in.

How much would you bet

[rbanffy]

How much would you bet that Microsoft would prefer if people got pirate versions of Windows "Less-Crippled Edition" instead of trying, say, Linux?

I know I would, if I was in their shoes.

what are they thinking ?

[moro_666]

i live in a small country in northern europe, we aint exactly poor but we earn usually less money here than the european and american workers that have the same job.

most here people dont buy windows here, they use some pirate version or have chosen linux instead. cause they just can't afford to spend money on software. besides the local people here really have no respect for software as a product.

russia is right beside us, people there earn even less. bill gates in his wildest dream can't sell no windows starter edition over here (they have launched it there, but believe me, there is no progress on selling there). i wouldn't wonder if their government would use pirated versions of microsofts tools too.

brazil is somewhat on the same level of economy as russia. a big country, and no money whatsoever (at least on the hands of microsoft's target group).

if you give a brazillian a choice to buy a limited windows version, pirate a windows version or use linux, he will choose one of the two last, no doubt about it.

none is really interested in buying a limited version of windows in a country where a solid worker earns the fee of window's licence in 1-2 months.