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Microsoft Officially Announces Anti-Virus Product

Posted by Zonk on from the another-product-all-grown-up dept.

Harry Maugans writes "Microsoft has officially announced their entrance into the anti-virus market. By combining anti-virus scans, anti-spyware scans, and firewall protection into a single package, Microsoft thinks they've created something fresh. So fresh they're charging an annual fee of $49.99 per year." From the article: "Microsoft's Windows OneCare Live program will be launched in June and made available online and via retailers for an annual fee of $49.95 on up to three machines. Customers who beta test Windows OneCare Live between April 1 and April 30 get to take advantage of a special $19.95 promotional price. Microsoft's pricing means Windows OneCare subscribers are likely to pay less up front than if they bought traditional anti-virus software like Symantec, for example, whose Norton AntiVirus 2006 protection pack for three PCs lists at $89.99."

5 of 399 comments (clear)

  1. MSAV? by Epaminondas+Pantulis · · Score: 2, Informative

    So MSAV didn't qualify as antivirus?

  2. Re:Solution for lazy people by GreyWolf3000 · · Score: 2, Informative
    I hate MS as much as the lext geek, but I believe that if MS didn't charge for their AV services, people would accuse them of price gauging Norton and McAfee. As it stands, their pricing makes them competitive with at least Norton.

    Even if MS were completely committed to securing the Windows codebase, there would still be plenty of security problems to deal with. I don't blame them for charging for this at all.

    --
    Slashdot: Where people pretend to be twice as smart as they really are by behaving like children.
  3. Here's the thing by casualsax3 · · Score: 2, Informative
    Microsoft can't win in this situation. If they bundle it with the OS they're going to get hammered with Anti-Trust stuff, and now that they're releasing it separately everyone's claiming extortion.

    It's not like Microsoft's OS division is writing this software. While you can make the argument that it's the same company that's selling you the insecure OS, and the software you need to secure it, I don't really think it's an argument that needs to be made.

    So Microsoft is coming out with an Anti-Virus product. Good.

    There's no way they can bundle this with the OS, so they're releasing it separately. OK fine. Get over it.

  4. Re:Right or Wrong... by mpapet · · Score: 2, Informative

    There is at least one viable alternative to windows.

    Apple Macs (many people don't feel comfortable unless they pay for it)
    Multiple Linux Distros(suse's commercial desktop OS version is my preferred)
    Multiple BSDs (freebsd is nice, a little feedback on pcbsd would be welcome)

    There are three right there.

    I'm not sure why anyone -needs- windows any more. If you tell me your enterprise application needs IE for XYorZ, then that's a specialized legacy problem. For the 80% of desktop users, I'd say they would do just fine in an alternative desktop.

    Loosen up, change is good.

    --
    http://www.maxineudall.com/2010/02/should-economists-be-sued-for-malpractice.html
  5. Re:To be fair to Microsoft by clontzman · · Score: 2, Informative

    Once the third-party providers go away, the price of OneCare Live will skyrocket just like Office did.

    Methinks you should look again. In 1997 (grabbed an old magazine off the shelf), Word 97 cost $337. Office 97 standard cost $499. Today you can get the home edition of Office 2003 for $149 or the standard version for $399. Prices for Office have been trending down, especially for the small business or home user.