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Microsoft To Invest Heavily In China
abb_road writes "As part of Chinese President Hu Jintao's recent visit to Redmond, Microsoft is announcing plans to invest $900 million dollars directly in software and hardware companies in China. The announced goal of this investment is to reduce software piracy and establish Windows-dominance in the region; what's not clear is if they expect the reduction to come from local business pressure or more direct government intervention." From the article: "To now, Microsoft's investment efforts have made little headway in reducing piracy. The company should be booking about $1 billion on annual sales of some 20 million PCs in China, says Paul DeGroot, an analyst at consultancy Directions on Microsoft. Instead, sales there are about $100 million, he says."
How do you say "Business Software Alliance" in Chinese? Will they get to use tanks?
"It looks like you're selling out your last few moral principles, in order to make a shitload of money from an oppressive totalitarian regime.
Would you like some assistance?"
Athletic Scholarships to universities make as much sense as academic scholarships to sports teams.
M$ has to replace many broken chairs, and since China is one of the largest producers of furniture....
Salesman: Vista is much more advanced than Windows XP. It interfaces with hardware right on the motherboard that keeps you from copying things you're not supposed to copy, and...
Chinese Businessman: What the price?
Salesman: We're pricing it aggressively, with the bare bones version just under one hundred U.S. dollars.
Chinese Businessman: One hundred dollars! What else it do?
Salesman: It's like Windows XP, but it has Digital Rights Management, and look - the windows can be transparent.
Chinese Businessman: Give me a brochure that say exactly what it do, and I think about it.
Salesman: Okay, great! Here are the technical specs, and here's a pamphlet that shows you why you need the new Windows Vista.
Chinese Businessman: Okay, goodbye!
******* One Month Later *******
Chinese Businessman: Happy Panda Software is pleased to announce that "Mindows Fiesta" is now available. Home version only seventy-five cents!
Step into a huge movement. Don't Tread In Me.