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Microsoft Invents $1.15/Hour Homework Fee For Kids

Posted by timothy on from the defining-the-edge-of-invention dept.

theodp writes "Microsoft's vision of your computing future is on display in its just-published patent application for the Metered Pay-As-You-Go Computing Experience. The plan, as Microsoft explains it, involves charging students $1.15 an hour to do their homework, making an Office bundle available for $1/hour, and billing gamers $1.25 for each hour of fun. In addition to your PC, Microsoft also discloses plans to bring the chargeback scheme to your cellphone and automobile — GPS, satellite radio, backseat video entertainment system. 'Both users and suppliers benefit from this new business model,' concludes Microsoft, while conceding that 'the supplier can develop a revenue stream business that may actually have higher value than the one-time purchase model currently practiced.' But don't worry kids, that's only if you do more than 52 hours of homework a year!"

4 of 580 comments (clear)

  1. New model? by PhreakOfTime · · Score: 5, Interesting

    'Both users and suppliers benefit from this new business model'

    Only Microsoft could try to call a business model 'new', when hotels and hookers have used it for centuries.

    At least its obvious what they are now

  2. Patent application != model for future. by Vellmont · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This whole summary is a troll. Technology businesses file many patents every year that they'll never implement. Patents are like munitions. You stockpile them in case you need to go to war, and to prevent others from attacking you. Balmer's saber rattling about Linux infringing on multiple Microsoft patents is the perfect example of this. (Though it's an example of the more sinister uses of patents).

    --
    AccountKiller
  3. Re:The Ultimate Steal? by trolltalk.com · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Though IIRC MS is trying to use the carrot of lower prices and other side benifits to tempt corporations and academic institutions into subscriptions deals that they then become basically stuck with.

    So 20 people leave their PCs on with the screen saver before they go on a two-week vacation, don't notice they still have documents open somewhere, and they get back a bill of $1.25 X 16 days (2 weeks plus the extra weekend) X 24 hours X 20 people, or $9,600.00.

    That will happen exactly ONCE before they all switch to anything else ... at that point, even vim or pico look better.

    --
    Kevin Smith on Prince
  4. How about a stray process? by Weaselmancer · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Excellent point. Unless MS isn't charging for the time in-between keystrokes. In which case their pricing scheme might be worth it. =)

    Which reminds me of something. I've closed Word on my work machine before when I've had a document open on a USB stick. Then try to USB eject the stick and it won't go. Go into task manager and see that some word-ish program still has an open handle on it.

    Run task manager, kill the exe, and I can eject the USB drive. No real problem but it raises a question: What if this stray process was billing me?

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    Weaselmancer
    rediculous.