News - Microsoft’s Ballmer goes toe-to-toe with Chinese President over piracy

[Biscuit]

If microsoft where more reasonable with their prices it would probably help them maybe a couple of % at most. The reality of the situation is if you can readily get something for free, and make it work with very little effort then you wont see the need to shell out the cash. If there is a threat of the government taking action, no it isnt going to stop the problem but that ~1% may become a little higher.

Microsoft are working the numbers, the same as any other corporation/company who fight against piracy to make their way in the world; find a way to minimize damages.

[watercooled]

I really don't see how they could price it more fairly than £50. If you're not prepared to pay that and still argue it's too much then you're just not prepared to pay for it at all really, are you?

[00oceanic]

The underlying fact is, China is still a growing economy and "your average Joe" still doesn't have that much money compared to the UK/US. A quick comparison of the largest and smallest bank notes are a clear indicator.

Largest Bank note in China
100 yuan = <£10

Smallest Bank note in China
1 cent = 0.1p

To fork out the equivalent of £50 for *them* will be way too much.
I can forsee the Chinese government banning all windows products, like they have with facebook. If Balmer is not careful. That would spell disaster for MS.

[watercooled]

I'm only talking about Western countries. Maybe they could release a separate Chinese version or something? I mean you'd get people moaning it's unfair because they're getting it for cheaper but as you say they don't have as much money so it is really. Something would have to be done to prevent it being imported and used here, of course.

[aidanjt]

Or, Microsoft could just make it more reasonably priced across the board.

[Splash]

I'd never pay for Windows, money wasted - I'm having it for free instead

Also supporting this "Junkdows" at work makes me sick of it big time.

I'm wondering how much better typical desktop OS would be if Microsoft had serious competition?

£50 max for the top of the range flavour should be their starting point...

If it's such junk why bother pirating it then?

[Zhaoman]

I think a lot of people are missing the crucial point that Tattysnuc hit on. I love Microsoft and their Windows as much as the next guy, and I think it is fair value for money; but the point of the article is the high levels of software piracy in China and that is purely down to the wages of the average Joe (or Liu...). Taking an oem copy of Win7 to cost £100, that is roughly 1000 yuan, you could buy an office computer for that price (including a pirated OS). You can see why forking out 1000 big ones for a legit OS is so prohibitive.

[Nelsaidi]

Windows software is overprice, without the pre order price for win7 of 50 pounds and sstudents 30 pounds (both of which I have got) then I probably would have pirate bayed it.

Unlike hardware which you cannot get for free and tend to pay more for better quality, you can pay 100 pounds for software which you will use for many years, or put that hundred pounds towards a holiday or whatever and get it for free because you can.

The worst thing is you build a budget pc for 300b pounds and then pay third of that price for windows, or just get it for free.

[MSIC]

Windows software is overprice, without the pre order price for win7 of 50 pounds and sstudents 30 pounds (both of which I have got) then I probably would have pirate bayed it.

Unlike hardware which you cannot get for free and tend to pay more for better quality, you can pay 100 pounds for software which you will use for many years, or put that hundred pounds towards a holiday or whatever and get it for free because you can.

The worst thing is you build a budget pc for 300b pounds and then pay third of that price for windows, or just get it for free.

I understand what you are saying (I think), that the process of illegally obtaining software is very easy, with a perception of it being unlikely to get caught. This would seem also to be the situation in china (keeping this on topic), and those two factors would seem to increase the risk-taking behaviour, or perhaps lack of percieved wrong-doing in people.
One similar argument might be if a fruit and veg stall were left for 10 minutes (let's imagine a sign that says 'gone shopping, back in 10 or similar). It would in that scenario be very easy to steal a piece of fruit.
But (and this I think is the key point IMHO) by stealing fruit, a theif would be depriving the vendor of their merchandise. With software, there remains a perception that this is not the case, as it's just data copying.

Overall then, a person who downloads illegal software /I.P. Would surely have to ask themselves "would I have otherwise tried to have paid for this?". If the answer is yes, then (ethically and legally) it is theft. If this answer is 'no', or 'unlikely' then it remains legal theft but I suppose less ethically wrong.
Maybe.

[jim]

Windows software is overprice, without the pre order price for win7 of 50 pounds and sstudents 30 pounds (both of which I have got) then I probably would have pirate bayed it.

Unlike hardware which you cannot get for free and tend to pay more for better quality, you can pay 100 pounds for software which you will use for many years, or put that hundred pounds towards a holiday or whatever and get it for free because you can.

The worst thing is you build a budget pc for 300b pounds and then pay third of that price for windows, or just get it for free.

So what you're saying is that Windows is overpriced, and any more than free is overpriced. I don't think that business model is going to work too well.

[aidanjt]

So what you're saying is that Windows is overpriced, and any more than free is overpriced. I don't think that business model is going to work too well.

I don't know, it's working out pretty well for Canonical and Red Hat.

I wouldn't argue that Windows should be free, but certainly a reduction in price wouldn't hurt, especially when they practically give it away to the big OEMs.

[jim]

I don't know, it's working out pretty well for Canonical and Red Hat.

I wouldn't argue that Windows should be free, but certainly a reduction in price wouldn't hurt, especially when they practically give it away to the big OEMs.

I just think that if your attitude is that you'll pay for hardware because you have to, but won't pay for software, because it's easy to pirate, then it's pretty pointless getting involved in a debate about fair prices for software.

[spoon_]

If it's such junk why bother pirating it then?

What are you suggesting dude?

[TheAnimus]

I don't know, it's working out pretty well for Canonical and Red Hat.

Ah yes, those big companies with the massive profits we keep hearing about. I mean didn't they almost turn over $30M, wow.

I am certain that all the microsoft stock holders are wishing that they had that kinda revenue.

[jim]

What are you suggesting dude?

Well, logically, if you think something is rubbish, you wouldn't want to use it?

[aidanjt]

I just think that if your attitude is that you'll pay for hardware because you have to, but won't pay for software, because it's easy to pirate, then it's pretty pointless getting involved in a debate about fair prices for software.

It always comes down to price, everything does. In China you would need to have your head examined if you paid for it. The price of the software far exceeds reason, and the government does little to nothing to enforce against violating foreign IP. If the price was what the Chinese consider reasonable, that 90% piracy rate might change to 10%. Obviously I'm not going to claim that a big price cut will cut out 100% of piracy, but it would significantly incentivise going legitimate.