ZDNet UK: Thailand’s Cheap PCs ‘Force Microsoft’s Hand’

“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…”

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