Genuine Windows 8 Pro at Just Rs.1999 from Microsoft India. This seems to be Microsoft’s strategy to cajole millions of users running pirated copies of its flagship Windows operating system (OS) to turn a leaf and become legitimate, paying customers. The software giant is offering a deep discount on Windows 8 for a few months, selling a copy priced at RS11,999 for RS1,999. From a computer that runs Windows XP, Vista or Windows 7 — pirated or otherwise — users can download a licensed copy of Windows 8 Pro, the version with all the bells and whistles, for an 83% discount. The offer is valid till January 31, 2013. An upgrade DVD costs RS3,499 and if you bought a Windows 7 computer after June 2012, an upgrade is yours for RS699.
For years, the hordes of users who used pirated copies of the flagship Windows OS represented a tricky knot for software giant Microsoft. They were potentially robbing the company of billions of dollars in revenue. And yet, cracking down would have made them turn to free, open-source platforms. This would have diluted the immense network effect that benefits Microsoft and helps preserve its market dominance. So, Microsoft mostly cracked down on piracy among companies and enterprise users and left personal users alone. That seems to be changing as the company unveiled Windows 8, a touchscreenoptimised OS that marks a radical departure in its user interface to usher in a tile-based system common to personal computers, tablets and mobile devices. With these upgrade offers, within four days of its launch, 4 million licences of Windows 8 have been bought and downloaded globally.
For years, the hordes of users who used pirated copies of the flagship Windows OS represented a tricky knot for software giant Microsoft. They were potentially robbing the company of billions of dollars in revenue. And yet, cracking down would have made them turn to free, open-source platforms. This would have diluted the immense network effect that benefits Microsoft and helps preserve its market dominance. So, Microsoft mostly cracked down on piracy among companies and enterprise users and left personal users alone. That seems to be changing as the company unveiled Windows 8, a touchscreenoptimised OS that marks a radical departure in its user interface to usher in a tile-based system common to personal computers, tablets and mobile devices. With these upgrade offers, within four days of its launch, 4 million licences of Windows 8 have been bought and downloaded globally.
