Quote: Microsoft Introduce Pay-as-you-go Computing Microsoft Corp. is announcing a flexible business model for emerging markets powered by Microsoft FlexGo technology. The pay-as-you-go computing model enabled by Microsoft's FlexGo technology allows customers to have a fully featured PC at home by paying only for the time as they use it through the purchase of prepaid activation cards or tokens. Microsoft has been running trials of the program in Brazil for more than a year and will soon be expanding to select markets in India, Russia, China and Mexico. The company intends to start a second trial in Brazil this week. AMD intends to develop processors designed specifically to support Microsoft FlexGo technology. Other partners in the pay-as-you-go program include the HSBC Bank Brasil S.A., Infineon Technologies AG, Intel Corporation, Lenovo, Phoenix Technologies Ltd., Transmeta Corp. and more. These will join Microsoft for the next round of pay-as-you-go and subscription trials in Brazil, China, Hungary, India, Mexico, Russia, Slovenia and Vietnam. Along with the new pay-as-you-go model, Microsoft has also been working with major telecommunication companies around the globe on subscription computing offerings that provide convenient and predictable monthly payments for a full-featured PC with broadband access and genuine software. With the availability of Microsoft FlexGo technology, it will be possible to expand the potential of the subscription model by enabling telecommunications providers to better secure the PC asset from default and offer this option to a broader range of customers. Telecommunications partners around the world have worked with Microsoft for more than a year conducting successful commercial offerings under this business model. Over the next few months, Microsoft will roll out subscription PCs with FlexGo technology with Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd. (VSNL) (India), T-Com (Hungary), Vietnam Datacommunication Co. (VDC) (Vietnam), SiOL doo (Slovenia) and Telefonica Brazil (Brazil).

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=6312

http://www.microsoft.com/whdc/flexgo/default.mspx



wouldnt be cheaper to go to rent-a-center and get one for 10$???


EDIT...

looks like they get to own the computer after they buy 800 hours...

but it makes you wonder... if you dont use the comptuer that much... every year you could get a new comptuter .. and never pay off that 800...

I heard somewhere that M$ is planning on making people pay yearly for some of its software, maybe even vista but I can't remeber where i read it.

I'll try and dig up the article!

Quote: Originally Posted by Reza I heard somewhere that M$ is planning on making people pay yearly for some of its software, maybe even vista but I can't remeber where i read it. I'll try and dig up the article!

at one time they were going to make the whole office suite online.. and you would pay a yearly fee on that...

desperate to find a revenue model that forces people to cough up on a regular basis.

Vista? Please - the company I occassionally work at is still on Win98 for god sakes.

Since the Version-Of-The-Month club doesn't float Bill's yacht, they need a different tact.

Just mentioning Office-By-The-Month sent enough users to StarOffice [not many, just enough] to make Microsoft abandon that little plan.

So here's the newest wrinkle. Makes sense for none of us, but there might be a few little old ladies who it would work for. Microsoft could install BOB!

Sheesh!
-MF

Quote: Originally Posted by Monsignor Funkibut desperate to find a revenue model that forces people to cough up on a regular basis. Vista? Please - the company I occassionally work at is still on Win98 for god sakes. Since the Version-Of-The-Month club doesn't float Bill's yacht, they need a different tact. Just mentioning Office-By-The-Month sent enough users to StarOffice [not many, just enough] to make Microsoft abandon that little plan. So here's the newest wrinkle. Makes sense for none of us, but there might be a few little old ladies who it would work for. Microsoft could install BOB! Sheesh! -MF

That is EXACTLY what I was thinking. I'm just worried that this will make a push for all of us to pay by the hour to go online, not to mention bandwidth caps. The internet as we know it is about to die because they're going to MAKE it die.

Microsoft's new business model is abhorrent, manipulative, and nothing new. It disgusts me that instead of making software that is actually top quality, they......

You know what? I'm not gonna get on that soapbox. Gates is NOT a genius, because when you're the biggest guy in the room, you can rape anybody you want and they still call you a genius, because everybody knows you're the man, and everybody else is your beyotch. I hate pay-as-you-go computing. So you only "own" your computer while you're using it? What does Microsoft do with it while you're sleeping? Scan your network for illegal software/DRM content? You laugh, but it could happen. Once you click that little "I agree" button, they PWN your butt.... lock, stock, and barrel.

Microsoft's only redeeming quality to me is the fact that they have several thousand people working there who actually care about software, and people, and being nice. Everybody else is in management.

Damn, I got on it anyway. I didn't want this to turn into a rant about Microsoft. Putz. I, uh, nevermind.

Windows what? I'll stick with Linux.... virus/spyware/popup/royalty-free for over three years and counting. Reformatting? Hah. System downtime? As if. I completely installed the 3D desktop rendering software, tools that went with it, etc. and never had to reboot.

Prepaid works if you have a very predictable use pattern.

Computers don't work that way. I don't want to see the response when the computer you're prepaying so you can do classwork or business work locks you down because you've exhausted your minutes.

Hey! Why not a scheme where the comp's free if you agree to leave it running an average of 20 hours a day or more running a distributed-computing project for their commercial needs? Surely in a year's time, a $299 Dell could cover its own price that way.

Quote: Originally Posted by Monsignor Funkibut desperate to find a revenue model that forces people to cough up on a regular basis. Vista? Please - the company I occassionally work at is still on Win98 for god sakes. Since the Version-Of-The-Month club doesn't float Bill's yacht, they need a different tact. Just mentioning Office-By-The-Month sent enough users to StarOffice [not many, just enough] to make Microsoft abandon that little plan. So here's the newest wrinkle. Makes sense for none of us, but there might be a few little old ladies who it would work for. Microsoft could install BOB! Sheesh! -MF

BOB was wonderful, i like bob, and bob runs my local radio station and plays anything

I love old school tech, and we use bob at my school on three computers

I have one computer, my game computer running Win XP. All the rest us the Linux. I am learning Linux slowly but surely. Screw Vista, I will stay with XP for a while.

Linux is pay as you go, you have to pay the energy bill every month or they will cut you off!

E

Silly microsoft. Haha I just figured out how to get rid of that stupid star for genuine windows crap in the start menu.