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Microsoft going the Microtransaction route for PC's?
BaronJuJu
Member UncommonPosts: 1,832
Think I'm kidding? They even applied for a patent
"U.S. patent application number 20080319910, published on Christmas Day, details Microsoft's vision of a situation where a "standard model" of PC is given away or heavily subsidized by someone in the supply chain. The end user then pays to use the computer, with charges based on both the length of usage time and the performance levels utilized, along with a "one-time charge."
Microsoft's patent application does acknowledge that a per-use model of computing would probably increase the cost of ownership over the PC's lifetime. The company argues in its application, however, that "the payments can be deferred and the user can extend the useful life of the computer beyond that of the one-time purchase machine."
and the part where I thought it would effect fellow MMO players:
"Charging for the various bundles may be by bundle and by duration. For example, the office bundle may be $1.00 [68 pence] per hour, the gaming bundle may be $1.25 per hour and the browsing bundle may be $0.80 per hour. The usage charges may be abstracted to 'units/hour' to make currency conversions simpler. Alternatively, a bundle may incur a one-time charge that is operable until changed or for a fixed-usage period," the document reads."
All I can say to this idea is 
. I'm not seeing any real benifit to the consumer with this idea and I find it almost laughable that Microsoft, during a recession, possible even a depression by some standards think its a great route to go to find a way to get even more money out of the folks that use their products
"If we don't attack them, they will attack us first. So we'd better retaliate before they have a chance to strike"
Comments
I don't know.
Microsoft could sneak this in on a very large naive joe six pack computer crowd who don't know any different. I won't be "renting" an OS or service from them at all. I would imagine joe six packers will go along with this and put in their credit card info to keep their internet working while their system is hijacked by spyware and viruses.
Don't be terrorized! You're more likely to die of a car accident, drowning, fire, or murder! More people die every year from prescription drugs than terrorism LOL!
I think it depends on how its presented.
That will be the time to switch to Linux.
Hope M$ is stupid enough to do it.
www.openoffice.org/
M$ has got millions of tools paying for xbl.. so that wouldnt surprise me.
Of course the only reason now days to make a patent is so someone can't sue you for patent infingement and so you have ammo against a "real" company that does.
I find it amazing that by 2020 first world countries will be competing to get immigrants.
If they EVER charge me to use an OS that I BOUGHT per hour, I'll easily boycott anything Microsoft. Including the entire Games for Windows line. I'll be on Linux in a second.
Although from what I read I'm seeing that the systems will be sold at VERY heavily discounted prices and then charged. It'll be more of a choice service. Like the Pay-Per-Use cell phones. Think TracFone or Virgin Mobile for computers. You pay some 20 bucks for a phone than but minutes to talk (or in this case buy the computer for some 200 bucks and buy hours to use it). So you'll still be able to get normal Windows like you have now. as if you bought a Razer for 100 bucks on a per-month plan.
____________________________
Telthalion Rohircil - Guardian - Elemandir - Lord of The Rings Online
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== RIP == Torey - Commando - Orion - Tabula Rasa == RIP ==
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Jordaniel Torey - Navy Megathron, Active Armor Tank - Tranquility - EVE Online
---
Torey Scott - Rifleman - Fallen Earth
____________________________
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but I know World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein
It's a choice thing. I'm always going to pay the 3-4k upfront I need for my systems every few years. And hundreds more every half a year or so to upgrade.
But when I look at people in my family and my girlfriend who'll buy a Dell one year for a list price of 1,500, end up owing over 3k in interests after awhile, and in general pay for it for years without end...yeah those type of casual users might end up saving money.
For all of you worried, dun worry, Microsoft's happen to charge you what they've been charging you for their software. This is probably all to accomodate the projected doubling of internet users foreseen by companies like Dell in the next 3-4 years.
M$ has got millions of tools paying for xbl.. so that wouldnt surprise me.
Yes because $5 a month for the best online system out of all the consoles is going to kill me.
Hold on Snow Leopard, imma let you finish, but Windows had one of the best operating systems of all time.
If the Powerball lottery was like Lotro, nobody would win for 2 years, and then everyone in Nebraska would win on the same day.
And then Nebraska would get nerfed.-pinkwood lotro fourms
AMD 4800 2.4ghz-3GB RAM 533mhz-EVGA 9500GT 512mb-320gb HD
M$ has got millions of tools paying for xbl.. so that wouldnt surprise me.
People are much more likely to pay a one time fee for unlimited use than they are to pay hourly, at least on a massive scale, and for something that some people use for hours and hours on end...I don't see this as being profitable for them, I for one would do everything in my power to circumvent having to pay by the hour for my computer...I bought the damn thing, I put it together, I even paid the ridiculous 200 dollars for a Windows Vista CD, i'll be damned if they try to tell me that I can only play for another hour before i pay them another $1.25
Your argument is like a two legged dog with an eating disorder...weak and unbalanced.
To me, it sounds more like a hardware/software combo. Appears MS is thinking of maybe having computers ( perhaps laptops or handhelds ) that come with "pre-paid" access ( like the cell phones you buy at the local gas station ).
Edit: Looks like Nickelplat caught the idea, too.
Yeah, I was holding one of those piece of junk phones at the time I got the idea :P Thing barely gets service inside a wooden house. But, that's not the point.
I got the whole 'hardware/software' gist from this little diagram (I believe was attached to the patent. Uploaded to my photobucket to save the site I got it from bandwith)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u143/nickel_nickel/mspaygo.jpg
I checked over about 5 sites and saw the same image, so it must be something produced my MS. Here's the patent on the USPTO site,
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1="20080319910".PGNR.&OS=DN/20080319910&RS=DN/20080319910
I can't view the images due to a lack of quicktime and the fact that it doesn't like FireFox 3.
Hope those links help a little.
____________________________
Telthalion Rohircil - Guardian - Elemandir - Lord of The Rings Online
---
== RIP == Torey - Commando - Orion - Tabula Rasa == RIP ==
---
Jordaniel Torey - Navy Megathron, Active Armor Tank - Tranquility - EVE Online
---
Torey Scott - Rifleman - Fallen Earth
____________________________
"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but I know World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones." - Albert Einstein
Yeah, I was holding one of those piece of junk phones at the time I got the idea :P Thing barely gets service inside a wooden house. But, that's not the point.
I got the whole 'hardware/software' gist from this little diagram (I believe was attached to the patent. Uploaded to my photobucket to save the site I got it from bandwith)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u143/nickel_nickel/mspaygo.jpg
I checked over about 5 sites and saw the same image, so it must be something produced my MS. Here's the patent on the USPTO site,
http://appft1.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PG01&p=1&u=/netahtml/PTO/srchnum.html&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1="20080319910".PGNR.&OS=DN/20080319910&RS=DN/20080319910
I can't view the images due to a lack of quicktime and the fact that it doesn't like FireFox 3.
Hope those links help a little.
Yep, after reading "Computer of scalable components", that's what it is alright.
I think this will be something aimed at parents wantiing to control what their kids do with the computer ( here's $5, Jimmy. Play your game for an hour since you've been a good boy . ) and people who just can't afford a "real" computer and internet.
To prevent circumvention, they'll more than likely use a method similar to old Apple/Mac/IBM computers ( where all the components were "hardwired" or glued together with the motherboard and the software tuned to only accept the proprietary CPU ).