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arn

macrumors god
Original poster
Staff member
Apr 9, 2001
16,362
5,795
ThinkSecret speculates that Microsoft may be considering a new pricing scheme for Mac Office:

New market research surveys are currently being conducted with end users on Microsoft's behalf. The survey questions reveal, at the very least, what is being considered as possibilities for the future.

Brian forwarded MacRumors.com the email/survey link in question:

Dear Member:

We'd like to invite you to participate in a very important survey about computers. By sharing your ideas, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win 1 of 100 $5 cash prizes and help shape the future of the computer industry. If you qualify and complete the follow-up survey you will receive $5 and be entered into a drawing for an Apple iBook computer and entered into a drawing for a chance to win $500.

Please click here to get started! (AOL users, please see note below.)

[link removed]

All winners will be notified via email. Please allow approximately 3-4 weeks for winners to be selected. This short survey will take you approximately 5 minutes to complete.
 

Nipsy

macrumors 65816
Jan 19, 2002
1,009
0
Ooohh boy...the largest technology juggernaut, while sitting on a 60BN dollar cash reserve, is willing to offer me a chance to win five whole dollars, and all I have to do is give them all my demographic info, phone number and address. Whoopeee!

If I win, I'm going to see half of a movie!
 

arn

macrumors god
Original poster
Staff member
Apr 9, 2001
16,362
5,795
Actually, the survey is run by Greenfield online...

arn
 

MacViolinist

macrumors regular
Nov 28, 2001
102
0
Texas
It is interesting that a company as historically concerned with profit as microsoft has been is actually considering backing down on prices. If I remeber correctly (this is certainly up for debate) Office 2001 cost somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 dollars, and, while a little on the high side, I don't think that they ever considered coming down off of that. The first thing that pops into mind is that sales for Office v.X must be really low. I suppose that we might have Apple's ingenious classic compatability mode for that. I mean, who is going to spend even 100 dollars on an upgrade when you can just boot OS 9 at the same time as X and be good to go? Not to get off of the subject, but I wonder if something similar will happen with .Mac if their sales are rotten. For the same reason, who is going to pay 100 dollars a year when the same (or better) services are available elsewhere? I'll stop there on that subject.

BTW, is there some kind of award for being a newbie for the longest? I'm going on 3/4 of a year now, and someone has already said whatever it was I was going to say by the time I get to a thread. So I just don't post. Oh well, the life of a musician....


-The Gruesome Drewsome
 

redAPPLE

macrumors 68030
May 7, 2002
2,675
5
2 Much Infinite Loops
I have been wondering about such online "lottery", do people really win these stuff?

:rolleyes:

well, my 2 cents has nothing to do with the article, but i just had to take it out of my system. :D
 

Nipsy

macrumors 65816
Jan 19, 2002
1,009
0
Originally posted by MacViolinist
It is interesting that a company as historically concerned with profit as microsoft has been is actually considering backing down on prices.

Profit and prices have NOTHING to do with each other. Volume & margin are the keys.

If I sell widget a, which costs 1 dollar to make, for 2 dollars, and repeat the process 1 million times, I've profited a million dollars (before McRain sucks the blood out of my doings).

If Bill sells widget b, which costs 100 dollars to make, for 1000 dollars, and repeats the process 10 times, he's made 9000 dollars.

The key is to find the economic sweet spot where the curves representing volume and margin equal the most profit.

If M$ has only sold 10 copies of Office, but by halving the price they can sell 1000, and make a larger profit, this is what they need to do.

That's the VERY simple explanation, there are volumes of analysis and mathematics involved in the complete explaination...
 

synergy

macrumors regular
Jun 12, 2002
248
0
They should cut the price on it and make it easier to buy the solo version of Word only.
I've seen many people who look at the price and do a double take. Upgrade price is a tad better but not by much.
Now with ThinkFree Office and OpenOffice coming to mac it may get more competitive.
 

drastik

macrumors 6502a
Apr 10, 2002
978
0
Nashvegas
I think at least a price break on the upgrade, I mean, people are complaining about 10.2, and it costs less than office upgrade. I don't mind paying for 10.2, but I hate giving money to MS.
 

theaz

macrumors member
Jun 10, 2002
47
0
apple offerings in October

in closely related rumor news:


Apple to Release Office suite July 26 2002
_
Apple is set to release a Microsoft compatible Office suite sometime in October. The suite, as we understand it, will be very, very similar to Microsoft's offerings, and will allow full compatibilty with MS Office on Windows and Macs...


see http://www.irumors.net/ for the rest. I do not know what the authenticity of info from this site is.
 

Tue12

macrumors member
May 14, 2002
57
0
I vote for a price drop.

If it is true they plan to drop prices, than I say 'yes'.

The current price for Office is definitely too high.

The $150 price they mention for new Mac buyers who also buy Office would sell like crazy. I definitely would buy Office with a new Mac for $150.

So if MacBU is listening, I say 'sold!' at lower prices. :)
 
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