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Software Price Gap Between the US and Europe
Kensai7 writes "A quick comparison between same versions of mainstream software sold in the USA and the EU markets show a big difference in the respective price tags. If you want to buy online, let's say, Adobe's Dreamweaver CS3, you'll have to pay $399 if you live in the States, but a whopping E570 (almost $900 in current exchange rates!) if you happen to buy it in Germany. Same story for Microsoft's newest products: Expression Web 2 in America costs only $299 new, but try that in Italy and they will probably ask you no less than E366 ($576!). How can such an abyssal difference be explained? I understand there are some added costs for the localized translated versions, but I also thought the Euro was supposed to be outbuying the dollar. Where's the catch?"
were not that dumb
http://thepiratebay.org/
E570 is not $900; it's stearic acid. E366 is potassium fumarate.
At the bottom of the
Obligatory:
"I'm proud to be an American, where at least my software is more free"
Because Free Software is more popular in Europe, the commercial software companies must make up for the lost stales by increasing prices.
If those damn users would only stop using Free Software, the price of commercial software could come down to a more reasonable level.
"I'm proud to be an American, where at least my software is pirated"
Fixed. :)
...if you happen to buy it in Germany
You:
...in semi-First World countries like those in Europe
Wow!
But then, you are right, when I was living there the first 25 years of my life, we used to sit on trees and hunt mammoths with hand-axes, while our neighbours were struggling with the fancy new walking-upright industrial norm.
"Hannibal's plans never work right. They just work." Amy/A-Team
Microsoft has always charged less in developing nations with weak or fragile economies.