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Microsoft Introduces Pay-as-You-Go Computing
An anonymous reader writes "Geekzone is reporting that Microsoft is introducing a new business model for 'pay-as-you-go computing.' From the article: 'The pay-as-you-go computing model enabled by Microsoft's FlexGo technology allows customers to have a fully featured PC at home by paying only for the time as they use it through the purchase of prepaid activation cards or tokens. Microsoft has been running trials of the program in Brazil for more than a year and will soon be expanding to select markets in India, Russia, China and Mexico.'" This makes me giggle, because it's basically the return of time-sharing; in the past it was for for mainframe systems, but I suppose the same concept behind the mainframe idea would be true in developing countries today with PC systems.
Not exactly time-sharing, but "on-demand" computing. Unisys and IBM are doing this now - it's actually a new concept for them as well...
An office suite, a standards compliant browswer, maybe a simple image editor, and maybe a couple of small utility programs.
Yeah, I guess that would be worth paying for....
I mean, it's not like people are giving it away for free.
Hello young un.
When I first started work, I had to log the time that I logged into my terminal and logged out again into a black book. This was so we could double check against the seemingly extortionate amount of money the time sharing bureau charged us for the time spent on the computer that was on the other end of the line from my terminal. This was around 1983, which will have been towards the end of a practice that had been going on since the 1960s.
Oh, and your comment about this latest scheme being about licensing software is wrong too. They're hiring the hardware as well as the software. Just as they were in the old time sharing days.
Why would it be hard for "Joe Sixpack who just wants to read his mail"? If that's all he wants to do, he can buy a used laptop for $50. Add in a new battery ($50) and a wifi card ($50) and he can read his email pretty much anywhere.
In case you haven't noticed, its now a LOT easier and quicker to install linux on a box than Windows, so Joe Sixpack is more likely to have success with his email, word processor, browser, etc. with a bare box if he tries to install linux instead of windows.
Steps to install OS and a ton of apps under linux:
Steps to install OS and a ton of apps under windows:
It ought to be a challenge, if nothing else.
l ?.v=1
It looks like Microsoft has chosen Transmeta to provide the processors, with some hardening features implemented within Transmeta's CMS (Code Morphing Software) technology I presume. They claim it's quite well-hardened against hack attempts.
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/060522/20060521005028.htm
Let the arms war commence!
It was a joke! When you give me that look it was a joke.
It's pretty clear that you really haven't used Linux lately. My grandmother could install Linux now. With a quality distribution you really do just pop in the DVD, reboot, and you are dropped into a working, functional environment that fully supports your graphics card (unlike any ugly Windows install at 640x480). You click ok a few times to accept defaults and then reboot.
After the reboot you're dropped straight into a slick gui. Tons of apps are accessible straight from the Gnome, KDE, or even "Start" menu depending on what gui screenshot you picked at the install.
Even cooler? Many distros include an "Add/Remove" programs app that *actually works*. If you want to add some software you are presented with a list of categories, so just browse to the type of app and then the specific program you want to install and it's downloaded and installed straight from the Internet. So easy!
Heck, you don't even have to do a real reboot with linux any more to upgrade the kernel. Just kexec into the new kernel http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/librar y/l-kexec.html. No cold boot. Not even a warm boot. No POST, no hardware re-initialization.
The pay as you go has no difference whatsoever on buying the OS!!! For the XP Home Editionm it costs R$1,00 (~US$ 0,40) per hour, and the OS is yours after 800 hours...
The retail Windows XP Home Edition costs around R$600,00 (~US$280,00), and can be bought in 3 payments with no interest.
In the end, it is the same as going on a personal loan...
"There is always an easy solution to every human problem -- neat, plausible, and wrong."
H. L. Mencken
Same is the case here in India. You get XP CD for $2. $6 will get you a guy to actually do the installation of XP, Office, Photoshop, couple of games and some nifty utils for you.
I would really like to see the price MS and co. will charge per hour for this. Esp considering the fact that there are cyber cafes in most small sized towns where you can get to use a computer, thats also connected to the internet (though very slow), with a host of applications/games installed on it (all pirated) for $0.40/hr. And that includes the electricity charges the cafe incurs, internet connection charges, any maintanence of HW, plus friendly help with software usage to customers. That would be something really tough to beat in my opinion. Also, considering the fact that some Indian hardware vendors have started offering basic computers, devoid of any software, that come with an AMD semperon and cost in the vicinity of $250 (add a $6 for the pirated SW above), it would be really interesting to see this model work here in India.
Mac laptops are routinely way more expensive then offerings from Dell. Specially when Dell has their sales that include ram/HD upgrades.
When I bought my inspiron 630m it came with 1GB of ram, 100GB disk, 2Ghz Pentium M and the three year warranty for 2300$ [with taxes]. That was when the BASELINE Mac laptop was $2000 on its own, that is 1.5Ghz G4, 512MB of ram, 60GB disk, etc... Upgrading and warrantying the thing would have cost [iirc] about $2850 or so.
Granted they're not $5000 each they are routinely more expensive.
As for the Mac Mini, it's $699 [CDN] for a 1.5Ghz single core processor with 512MB of ram. Big deal. I could buy a 2Ghz dual-core AMD64, 1GB of ram and a proper case (e.g. one where I can install new stuff) for about the same price.
Tom
Someday, I'll have a real sig.
Now, the question becomes whether you can extract 1/3 of the value of the PC in parts. Transmeta has a press release on the subject. Here is a quote from the press release: "The specialized microprocessor is an enhanced version of Transmeta's 90 nanometer Efficeon microprocessor that includes instruction set extensions developed with Microsoft to support the FlexGo technology, which enables both pay-as-you-go and subscription computing models in emerging markets. This new Efficeon processor provides a secure foundation for Microsoft's FlexGo technology and associated business models. The design of the processor offers robust protection from repurposing and protects the business investment in subsidized systems."