ZDNet UK: Thailand's Cheap PCs 'Force Microsoft's Hand' Aug 25, 2003, 18 :00 UTC (11 Talkback[s]) (13580 reads) (Other stories by John Lui)
"The Thai government's scheme to bring cheaper computers to low-income earners could have the unintended side effect of cracking Microsoft's hallowed one-price policy, says an analyst.
"How a simple welfare scheme in a Southeast-Asian country could tweak the nose of the world's largest software company was explained by Dion Wiggins, a research director with Gartner Hong Kong.
"Today, a copy of the Microsoft Windows operating system or Office productivity suite costs roughly the same in every country. For example, Windows XP Home is $199 (£125.77) and Office XP, $399. Given that the income of a Thai worker is $7,000 a year, it would be the equivalent of charging $3,000 for the bundle in the US, he told CNETAsia..."
