EU Petitioning for Lower Vista Prices

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Rich Tate

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There is now a petition on a government site that is requesting lower prices for a copy of Vista. The sole reason for the petition is to ask Tony Blair to speak to Microsoft about a lower price point.

The petition is posted on the 10 Downing Street section of the government site and will be sent to the prime minister's office after it closes on 20 April. It calls on Tony Blair to put pressure on Microsoft, "to stop them overcharging the UK for its Vista operating system".
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EDIT I improperly titled this leadin with EU instead of the UK specifically. That is solely my fault, have made the correction to the story title and apologize. Thanks to everyone who pointed this out.
 
No offense, Rich, but it seems that this is a very UK centric issue, not a EU problem.
 
Great. So now in addition to whining that they don't want all of the features of Vista, now they want lower prices, too?

Would you like some cheese with that whine? :rolleyes:
 
Microsoft Windows Vista Home Basic English OEM DVD 32bit
www.Komplett.co.uk
Availability: 3 stocked £57.00
The price isn't so bad for this version.

Didn't EU want a a stripped down operating system so that there wouldn't be fear of a monopoly and this is what you get right? more expensive versions. They even made a lawsuit against MS because of this many times. I believe.

This is an example of putting your head up your arse.
 
I wouldn't call 57 GBP bad either, google tells me ~$111 US. Considering the value of the US dollar, and the fact that it costs M$ money to produce for another market, a $20 price difference doesn't sound that bad..Esp considering they had to produce more versions just to make the EU happy with the 'N' versions.

I'm not normally on M$'s side, but all this bitching by the EU and the UK is just getting ridiculous (not that it wasn't already!). They say take stuff out to avoid the monopoly in your software -- well no sh*t it will raise the prices, they have to make a special edition which makes more effort and expense for them to comply. What are they bitching about now, the prices should be lower because there's less included? M$ has to make up for their extra time/effort in creating those "N" editions, and as with any company in our capitalist system, the average consumer will end up paying (at least in part) for those fines M$ was coerced out of with the XP debacle.

And really, how f*cking hard is it to goto google.com and type in "windows media player alternative" or "internet explorer alternative". Whether or not I agree M$ was using monopoly-like powers with Windows bundled software doesn't negate the fact that there's TONS of EASILY available (and FREE!) alternatives to what M$ was sued for. That's pretty much my #1 stop after any OS install - installing the latest version of FF and MPC. If the EU really wanted to help people with these issues, they'd point them to such softwares as Media Player Classic and Firefox on their site.
 
kush said:
I wouldn't call 57 GBP bad either, google tells me ~$111 US. Considering the value of the US dollar, and the fact that it costs M$ money to produce for another market, a $20 price difference doesn't sound that bad..Esp considering they had to produce more versions just to make the EU happy with the 'N' versions.

I'm not normally on M$'s side, but all this bitching by the EU and the UK is just getting ridiculous (not that it wasn't already!). They say take stuff out to avoid the monopoly in your software -- well no sh*t it will raise the prices, they have to make a special edition which makes more effort and expense for them to comply. What are they bitching about now, the prices should be lower because there's less included? M$ has to make up for their extra time/effort in creating those "N" editions, and as with any company in our capitalist system, the average consumer will end up paying (at least in part) for those fines M$ was coerced out of with the XP debacle.

And really, how f*cking hard is it to goto google.com and type in "windows media player alternative" or "internet explorer alternative". Whether or not I agree M$ was using monopoly-like powers with Windows bundled software doesn't negate the fact that there's TONS of EASILY available (and FREE!) alternatives to what M$ was sued for. That's pretty much my #1 stop after any OS install - installing the latest version of FF and MPC. If the EU really wanted to help people with these issues, they'd point them to such softwares as Media Player Classic and Firefox on their site.
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I dont really understand why they are bitching. MS allows you to pull out the OS and start using it right out of the box. Media player offers basic functions, it can play songs, rip cds, and some other functions i will never use. Internet explorer...is well a web browser, we all have to use it at least once to download Firefox...:cool:.

I say microsoft just makes a version of windows that has nothing in it. no basic drivers, no basic software (calculator, notepad, etc.), and make em pay for everything they would need to make the computer running. if they are gonna bitch about, make it a pain for them to install the fucking software. Personally $111 USD for a full copy of windows is a damn good deal.
 
Reduce your import tariff, quit suing, and quit requiring extra versions.. Then maybe you can complain...
 
LOL@this shit. Just LOL. I don't wanna get into the debate about stripped down this and crippled version that, because it's a moot point really when you think about it for MS.

Ms Isn't going out of their way to FORCE anybody over there to buy the OS in the first place. It's their money, they can spend it on whatever they want right? Making demands that a company lower their products prices because they are the ones with the problem of this whole damn MS monopoly thing just burns my ass, like I said, EU/UK or whatever Isn't being made to buy it in the first place.
 
I wish microsoft would just completely pull out of the EU market, let their economy go down the shithole, then wait for the EU to beg them to come back. Let them bitch about Apple for awhile and how iLife is destroying small businesses, or how the poor hackers cant make money from malware anymore.

I would love to see what the EU would do to an Apple computer if they came under the same crap that Microsoft does. No more "Im a Mac, Im a PC" commercials since OSX would be just as raped as windows.
 
"Socialism refers to a broad array of doctrines or political movements that envisage a socio-economic system in which property and the distribution of wealth are subject to social control." Wikipedia

Sound Familiar? This is what there used to and why there bitching baffles Americans.
Europeans, cant for the life of them, figure out why our country, despite the democrats best attempts, is so great and financially successful.
 
InorganicMatter said:
Great. So now in addition to whining that they don't want all of the features of Vista, now they want lower prices, too?

Would you like some cheese with that whine? :rolleyes:
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No, they want the same prices that you pay, given that the cost of product is the same and the average after-tax income is most likely lower.
 
drizzt81 said:
No, they want the same prices that you pay, given that the cost of product is the same and the average after-tax income is most likely lower.
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Who cares what your after tax income is!? If you weren't a bunch of socialists you taxes wouldn't be so high. It was the EU that was suing the crap out of MS so why should we pay?
 
idividebyzero said:
I wish microsoft would just completely pull out of the EU market...
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That would be a very poor strategic choice for a global company. If they pull out of the EU market, they would give away that market to a competitor. I am quite sure that there is tons of venture capital just waiting for this opportunity.
 
Cabn12 said:
Who cares what your after tax income is!? If you weren't a bunch of socialists you taxes wouldn't be so high.
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Nobody is asking you to pay. People are wondering why MS' prices for the UK are significantly different from continental Europe and the USA.
Cabn12 said:
It was the EU that was suing the crap out of MS so why should we pay?
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Just for your information: The DoJ has also sued MS for anti-competitive behavior. MS was found guilty, however the seatlement that was finally agreed upon was not even a slap on the wrist. Anti-trust legislation is actually a US-American idea.
 
drizzt81 said:
Nobody is asking you to pay. People are wondering why MS' prices for the UK are significantly different from continental Europe and the USA.
Just for your information: The DoJ has also sued MS for anti-competitive behavior. MS was found guilty, however the seatlement that was finally agreed upon was not even a slap on the wrist. Anti-trust legislation is actually a US-American idea.
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"Nobody is asking you to pay" Yes they are. Why should MS try to recoup the losses from It's US customers from the EUs record lawsuits?

Yes I know the DOJ under the Clinton administration sued MS. Clinton=Democrat=Socialist.

I'd say 90% of the lawsuits are people simply trying to get a piece of the pie. And judgments being handed down by idiots who couldn't even begin to tell you how to use a PC.
 
"The EU Competition commission which oversees the compliance, ruled in March 2004 that Microsoft was unfairly restricting those rival systems, and ordered Microsoft to produce additional technical documentation."

First of all how was Microsoft unfairly restricting rival systems? You mean because they either had a better product or its customers had easier access to their product? Is MS responsible for users not downloading competing products? Did competing products not work with Windows?

If the EU truly cared about unfair practices why do they not go after MAC. Limited software is available for MAC, you have to buy the hardware from MAC and the price of the hardware is outrageous. MAC - Talk about unfairly restricting those rival systems.
The EU like most everybody else is trying to get a piece MS. Not because its unfair but because there greedy
 
drizzt81 said:
That would be a very poor strategic choice for a global company. If they pull out of the EU market, they would give away that market to a competitor. I am quite sure that there is tons of venture capital just waiting for this opportunity.
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It would be a great oppurtunity for Linux and Apple but it would still cause a great deal of damage to the EU economy since Linux will never beable to match the software for Windows (not to mention 80% of computer users could never figure out how to use Linux since its so complicated to get working) and people just cant afford Macs. Plus the EU would totally destroy everything about a Mac that makes it better than a PC, which Steve Jobs isnt going to like and will probably retaliate in some fashion.

Eitherway the EU is completely out of control and needs to be a taught a lesson somehow. Maybe everytime the EU orders MS to lower their price then MS should raise the price instead. They need to push back instead of being bullied by these psychos.
 
This is, amazingly enough, not really an MS issue. Note, for example, the price of a PS3 60GB model (on amazon.co.uk), in at 424.99GBP...or $834.20. Or Starbucks, which has a tendency to simply keep the same number in Great Britain but in GBP instead of dollars, meaning that cups of coffee are twice as expensive.
 
While I agree Microsoft is getting hammered by the EU, remember that it's the EU, not specifically England. I mean they should have a stripped down version and charge for the extras. I think MS is getting the shaft over there and here in the US too but, you got to admit, the price difference is too high. Prices from Amazon.com and .co.uk and using current conversion rates. all figures in USD. Most prices rounded up.

Premium upgrade US = $154 UK = $265 = $109 more in the UK
Ultimate Upgrade US = $250 UK = $422 = $172 more in the UK
Home basic upgrade US = $99 UK = $163 = $64 more in the UK

Premium full US = $228 UK = $380 = $152 more in the UK
Ultimate full US = $380 UK = $626 = $246 more in the UK
 
Cinge, I think you may want to rewrite that. It seems to be defending the petition. ;)

Now really, how can they justify such a huge difference in price?
 
MS has the right to charge who ever what ever they want. If they wanted to charge one million dollars for Vista Basic they could, nobody would buy it but they could. I know capitalism is becoming a foreign idea to Europe but you can stick your petition up your bloody arse! If you don't like the price DON'T BUY IT!
As much as Europeans hate Americans I hate the Europeans more. They hate anybody who is more arrogant than they are, but at least were arrogant with merit.
 
Cabn12 said:
MS has the right to charge who ever what ever they want. If they wanted to charge one million dollars for Vista Basic they could, nobody would buy it but they could. I know capitalism is becoming a foreign idea to Europe but you can stick your petition up your bloody arse! If you don't like the price DON'T BUY IT!
As much as Europeans hate Americans I hate the Europeans more. They hate anybody who is more arrogant than they are, but at least were arrogant with merit.
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"OH MY GOD, they're bankrupting me, $1 million, how ever can I afford such a thing I must buy to survive!?!?!?!?!?!?!11111 AHHHHHHH (has heart attack)" -European

Yep, I have to agree with you 100%.
 
The price in the UK is also higher than it is in the rest of the EU. Why? The UK is one of the few voices in Europe that pushes for real free market capitalist economics, more so than the US. The UK has the most free market economy in the world. You can buy any company, you can trade practically anything - there are no sacred cows protected by the UK government unlike in the EU and US. London is now acknowledged by financial institutions as the most important financial center in the world.

Perhaps you can argue that because the UK doesn't use the Euro it would push prices up but one of the main reasons we didn't join was because the business lobby said it would be better for the UK.

UK doesn't mean EU.

P.S. Adam Smith author of "Wealth of Nations" and father of modern economics was a Scot from the UK. In fact from the same town as the UK Chancellor (Finance Minister) Gordon Brown.
 
The EU makes demands of microsoft to be inferior to other rival OS's. What OS is that?

They demand lower prices. Who the hell are they?

They take legal action when they don't get their way. Whining little kids in my opinion.

I think MS should raise the price just to prove they are the ones who made the software and control it's sale.
 
How many of you read the article? Cinge is right with his analysis... $200+ differences for the same product based merely on the location is quite peculiar.
 
Gorignak said:
I think MS should raise the price just to prove they are the ones who made the software and control it's sale.
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Microsoft is also free not to trade in the second largest/richest economic zone in the world and see how their revenues and profits plunge. All the while Asia is happy to keep on using pirated Microsoft software.
 
Cabn12 said:
Europeans, cant for the life of them, figure out why our country, despite the democrats best attempts, is so great and financially successful.
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I guess we're not "intelligently designed" like you Americans ;)
 
jon67 said:
I guess we're not "intelligently designed" like you Americans ;)
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I'm not saying were more intelligent. It's your mind set. I read an article where some European intellectual could not under stand why America's economy is thriving despite corporate scandals, war and tax cuts. It was almost as if he could not fathom how a society could thrive in spite of its government. Individuals, like Bill Gates, make the country great not the government!
 
doctork said:
The price in the UK is also higher than it is in the rest of the EU. Why? The UK is one of the few voices in Europe that pushes for real free market capitalist economics, more so than the US. The UK has the most free market economy in the world. You can buy any company, you can trade practically anything - there are no sacred cows protected by the UK government unlike in the EU and US. London is now acknowledged by financial institutions as the most important financial center in the world.

Perhaps you can argue that because the UK doesn't use the Euro it would push prices up but one of the main reasons we didn't join was because the business lobby said it would be better for the UK.

UK doesn't mean EU.

P.S. Adam Smith author of "Wealth of Nations" and father of modern economics was a Scot from the UK. In fact from the same town as the UK Chancellor (Finance Minister) Gordon Brown.
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Do you agree or disagree with the petition idea? Based on these facts then the UK has no right on determining price of a product no matter if it makes any sense to the consumer or not. A free market economy would then determine price. If the price is to high the consumers wont buy.
 
I have an idea. Why not ask Sony to lower the price of the PS3 since we all know it's overpriced? Even more in Europe.
 
Made a correction to the frontpage title. Thanks to everyone who pointed that out. Solely my fault and I apologize.
 
Is there a reason why the EU versions are so much higher????
Tarrifs?? Some odd tax we dont know about???

Id like to see some explaination from MS before I condemned them.

I think the Corvette and the Hummer are overpriced, think I'll call President Bush and see if he can do something.:D
 
Cabn12 said:
there is NO operating system monopoly.
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Windows has a market share so massive that any attempt to switch would be difficult for the individual and massively crippling for a large organization. Just because other options exist doesn't mean it is not a monopoly, there is no significant competition in most sub-markets.
 
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