All PC buyers aren't the same.
the PC buyer wants to plug the machine in and use it
any barrier to that is not customer service or even logical
Not all PC buyers are the same.
<begin dreaded car analogy>
When I bought my VW Jetta, the first one I looked at had [link|http://www.onstar.com/us_english/jsp/explore/index.jsp|OnStar]. I didn't want it. It didn't meet my needs and I didn't want to have to pay for it. My dealer was able to get a car for me that didn't have it, and I was happy.
If MS sold cars, they would own 95% of the car market, and everyone would have to buy options they didn't want.
</end dreaded car analogy>
If a person or company wants buy a PC without Windows, why is it so difficult to do so? Why? Because Microsoft continues to exert undue influence on the industry.
Not all PC buyers can presently just buy a PC and plug it in. Microsoft, for example, requires large corporations with Software Assurance to pay twice for Windows - once when they buy the machine, once for the licenses under SA. They can't just buy new PCs and deploy them - not without violating MS's license. And MS is restricting the versions of Windows Vista available under SA, except in "special cases", according to [link|http://apcstart.com/node/4638|this] story:
APC: \ufffdWhat happens when a volume licensing customer requires a particular feature which is only available in the retail version? For example, a user wants to be able to make DVDs (Windows Vista\ufffds DVD Maker is not available in either of the business editions.)\ufffd
Microsoft: \ufffdWe recognise that some enterprises may want the use of certain consumer-oriented features for certain unique settings, such as for conference rooms or for media-related labs, etc.
Customers with SA agreements can take advantage of Windows Vista Ultimate to address these special cases.
Non SA customers can purchase a PC with Windows Vista Ultimate pre-installed from their OEM, they can purchase retail licenses to upgrade existing machines, or they can look into one of the many third-party applications that will be part of the Windows Vista ecosystem to meet their needs.
Because of the superior manageability and deployment functionality of Windows Vista Business and Windows Vista Enterprise, we recommend that organisations standardise on either of these versions of Windows Vista.\ufffd
So I suppose it\ufffds not all bad news. As an organisation you do have to purchase Software Assurance to get the flexibility to use Vista Ultimate in those \ufffdunique settings\ufffd so you\ufffdre looking at an extra cost per unit there.
Gee. It sounds like Microsoft is really interested in giving customers what they want, doesn't it?
if there was huge demand for some other arrangement someone would step up and sell that sort of box
maybe Apple? (not)
If it's just customer demand that's driving these requirements, why is it that the requirements so often get in the way of what the customer whats to do? It's your repeated posting of things like this that only presents Microsoft's side that makes many here conclude that you're a shill. (I think you're not, BTW.)
FWIW.
Cheers,
Scott.
