According to the Chicago Sun Times, a Federal Judge, J. Frederick Motz, is questioning whether Microsoft’s plan to give away $1 billion in refurbished computers and software to schools would stifle competition.
As it stands now, schools are the only area that Apple Computers is competitive with MS.
If you give the schools $1 billion worth of computers and software, will they be buying Apple equipment - I don’t think so. When it comes time to upgrade, will they consider Apple - maybe, but most likely MS will be ensconced.
Does anyone think that Microsoft thought this out in advance? Let’s see, how can we perpetuate and expand our monopoly into schools while settling an anti-trust suit?
It’s just fucking beautiful. Build a bigger monopoly by settling a monopoly lawsuit. Sweet!
Oh sheesh. Remind yourself to return your christmas presents as obvious ploys to get you to be people’s friends. A huge act of philanthropy can’t even please some MS haters.
I think saying that they thought it out in advance is a little silly, but you cannot argue that they not getting some benefit from the settlement.
If it’s supposed be punative, then it should be 100 percent punative. A better punishment would be for them to have to simply donate $1 billion to schools, for them to spend on whatever they want. Like teacher salaries, books, whatever.
I think you’re being too hard and Gazoo. I’m not a big one for conspiracy theories but Microsoft has shown over and over again its willingness to dodge if not outright ignore attempts to mitigate its monopoly.
If MS was really trying to play nice here they’d let the schools decide individually what they wanted and hand over the cash or equipment to fulfill those orders. Schools would likely use both Apples and PC’s in that case.
I have little doubt that MS sat down and consciously sought a way to pay-up (as it were) while gaining the maximum benefit for themselves. You can hardly blame them for that but it still sucks from an outside perspective (unless you own Microsoft stock).
OTOH, the reason that Apples have traditionally been in schools is because back in the old Apple II days, Apple donated a lot of equipment and computers to schools, or sold their computers to schools at discounts.
Ah, but they weren’t settling an anti-trust suit when they were doing it, were they?
And erislover, if you think Microsoft didn’t think that out in advance, I admire you. I, unfortunately, am stuck with this cynical attitude (grew up in the 60’s - first election I voted in was to vote against Nixon, for Pete’s sake).
Another way to look at it is that MicroSoft is so big and so influential that virtually anything they do is going to benefit them in some fashion, because they have a product in place that will benefit from just about anything they do.
Specifically regarding equipment, look at where they are. Donate computers? Well, they’re not going to buy a billion bucks worth of Apple G4s, are they? That doesn’t leave much left, unless one happens to think that children will be able to understand the Unix/Linux interface. What about printers? Well, Apple printers are generally not compatible with PCs, and again you can’t really expect MS to go out and directly aid its competition. How about projectors? That opens the door for MS Powerpoint. Computer mice? MS already badges its own mice. MS software? The MS software runs on the MS OS that uses the equipment that MS makes or is made by other companies which have business deals with MS.
Bill Gates probably can’t scratch his balls without making money off of it. Unfortunately, a certain someone needs to pay corporate America back for its lavish donations to The Cause. Therefore, no breakup, which was probably the only reasonable solution.
As Whack-a-Mole says, let them donate money. A wild idea would be to make them donate Apple computers and Linux servers. But, again, I say, allowing them to spawn a new monopoly sector while settling an anti-trust suit is just wrong.
I’d rather have them give cash as well - but for a different reason.
The company I work for sells software - lots of it. Including to school boards. All the time. So this means there is going to be up to $1 Billion less revenue for us. Not an insignificant amount.
Ah well, at least there is some benefit here to someone at the end of it all - i.e. the schools.
It’s not like the schools have to use it. Hell, they could sell them. Or use them. But it would be the schools choice.
Maybe some of these schools can’t afford Apples.
I don’t believe that’s quite correct, mske. Part of the money is for hardware, something for which Microsoft doesn’t normally receive revenue. Also, the cost to Microsoft for a Windows CD is $1 or $2. For the purpose of this exercise, each CD is being valued at around $200, the retail price for a copy of Windows. This considerably reduces the cost to Microsoft.
Indeed, according to m_evanchik on Slashdot, Microsoft will even make a small profit! The loss of $1.1 Billion in revenue allows a tax write off (at 15%) of $165 million, for a material cost (the CDs) of around $25 million. Microsoft ends up around $140 million richer, less support costs valued at $128 million. Still $12 million ahead. (I’m not a tax accountant, so I can’t guarantee that these figures are correct).
I like Red Hat’s idea. They have offered to provide the software (Red Hat Linux) for free, including free online support and free upgrades forever, not just five years as Microsoft have offered. This would increase the number of computers per school from 14 to 70!
And erislover, this isn’t a “huge act of philanthropy”. This is in lieu of a sentence for breaking the law.
Ah, it isn’t that I couldn’t believe it was, merely that I wouldn’t have automatically considered it as the prime motivation or even a secondary motivation. Hence, “poo poo on you” instead of “you’re a fucking anti-MS nazi.”
Now, if I can learn how I managed to convince Whack-a-Mole that “poo poo on you” is a pit-worthy insult, I’ll be set
Marcus, if it was the result of a court order than it wasn’t a monopolistic strike either, eh?
erislover, it’s not the result of a court order yet. Microsoft have proposed this arrangement - it will be examined by U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz in Baltimore on Tuesday. Judge Motz is indeed examining the proposal to determine whether it is a monopolistic strike.