Microsoft goes for the wallet with XBox.

Post #5,764 by Andrew Grygus 8/18/01 2:48:12 PM Reply	Microsoft goes for the wallet with XBox. Microsoft's sales program severely penalizes any retailer who sells XBoxes without a software / peripheral bundle of Microsoft products. To get a $299 XBox you'll have to pay between $499 and $1200. This also effectively screws all the "partners" who have programmed XBox games, because they're locked out of the original sale. See [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com/news/M010817.html\|Microsoft Leverages XBox] for a more detailed version of my "entirely unbiased" opinion. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #5,765 by boxley 8/18/01 2:58:17 PM Reply	turned loose the habenero, good article Our bureaucracy and our laws have turned the world into a clean, safe work camp. We are raising a nation of slaves. Chuck Palahniuk
Post #5,766 by lordbeatnik 8/18/01 3:03:43 PM Reply	Very nicely said (and some editor corrections =8^) First off, some minor editor corrections: You have stabing instead of stabbing in about the middle of your analysis. In the last paragraph, shouldn't that be a comma instead of a question mark? How then, you really do have to laugh at MS's partners. What did they think MS would do? MS has been building up and buying into the game industry like crazy. Did they think MS wouldn't emulate what they did when MS entered the application market with Office? I don't really remember the onset of Office very well, so how similar is this? That would be an interesting comparison. Btw. Andrew, I'm starting to use your site as the ultimate place to find good explainations as to why M$ can't be trusted. I wish I could articulate my reasons that well. Dave "LordBeatnik"
Post #5,767 by Andrew Grygus 8/18/01 3:13:50 PM Reply	Thanks for the edits, & the encouragement. I always appreciate the nit picking because it's really hard to proof your own stuff, especially when you're doing a couple other things at the same time. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #5,788 by Ashton 8/18/01 8:35:16 PM Reply	Al punte, as usual.. I'd like your place to become an er Portal :-\ufffd for up-to date Barbarian spoor tracking. (Yes, I pass it around as many opportunities as arise) Hope lots are adding your link; Gawd knows that for the truly ovine and gullible - Astroturf needs a Nemesis we might call er.. Real Grass\ufffd ? as in.. Why settle for, Paid Unconscionable $oiled Spin [PUSS] when ya can get our Always Conscionable Twirl ACT together: with refs to check, too! Ashton Marketing Droids We Hatesessss what we doessss - Yessssss, My Preciousssss.. We doessssss..
Post #5,793 by boxley 8/18/01 10:36:37 PM Reply	only one thing to add, gollum Our bureaucracy and our laws have turned the world into a clean, safe work camp. We are raising a nation of slaves. Chuck Palahniuk
Post #5,962 by jb4 8/20/01 9:37:23 AM Reply	Ashton B.: Master of the TLA (even if you can't count...;-) ) jb4 Resistance is not futile...)
Post #5,839 by CRConrad 8/19/01 2:43:27 PM Reply	Okay, then here's one more: It's "GarTner Group" (only with a lower-case 't', of course), isn't it? Christian R. Conrad The Man Who Knows Fucking Everything
Post #5,769 by tonytib 8/18/01 3:51:59 PM Reply	Very risky move on their part For this strategy to work, the XBox must be a hot item. If it's not, MS is going to lose a lot of money -- and even worse, mindshare. For starters, I wonder how Walmart is going to deal with this. They have a lot of power, too. Let's suppose they decide not to sell the XBox: -- if the XBox is hot, Walmart will lose some sales -- if people just want a video game, MS will get thumped Advertising can only do so much; just think of some expensive movies and TV shows that have flopped despite massive amounts of hype. My guess is that this will contribute to a massive XBox flop, especially because the economy is tight. The $500 XBox won't look so attractive (besides the fact that it's fugly) compared to a $200 Gamecube or PS/2. I just don't see parents spending much over $200 for Christmas presents. Tony
Post #5,789 by dmarker2 8/18/01 9:48:42 PM Reply	Re: It almost seems bizarre that we ... now consider anyone who partners with Microsoft, deserves to be screwed senseless & gets no sympathy from us because we consider anyone so stupid as to partner with Microsoft deserves averything they get. I know this is what I feel, but it does seem bizzare that we feel Microsoft should screw the idiots (grin) Cheers Doug Marker
Post #5,792 by Andrew Grygus 8/18/01 10:34:54 PM Reply	What makes it really worthwhile . . . . . is not that they're idiots, but that they all think they're so much smarter than Microsoft. Every company that signs up goes in saying "Yeah, We know everybody else got screwed, but this is different. We'll do just fine". Of course, as we've recently seen, Microsoft itself isn't entirely immune to this attitude. "Screw Janet Reno, This is business, not Waco" - Steve Ballmer. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #5,800 by Ashton 8/18/01 11:59:42 PM Reply	Pauli Exclusion Principle? As.. what one feels - on driving up to a pump behind a 7300# Explorer Urban Assault Vehicle, and hearing the guy complainin about $2 gas and.. One. Smiles. Or watching someone send in their s/ware Reg to Redmond, with home phone, SSN* and date of last period.. because they asked. Maybe genuine sympathy is zero-sum, so it becomes diluted when wasted on repeat offenders, especially smug ones (?) Just a theory A. * er Social Security Number, for the non-US. (Only a few places you Have to give that, or would - like bank, employer)
Post #5,802 by boxley 8/19/01 12:26:34 AM Reply	didja also know that if you have say 25k in cash and decide to deposit in the bank at 9k one day 9k the next 7k the next you can be charged with a felony costing you 5 years even if the cash is legit? Had a local case of tax protesters using the old dodge, I am a sovreign of Florida not a citizen of the USofA so dont hafta pay income tax because the flag had a blue border in court which means it is an admiralty flag and admiralty law doesnt address taxes. Well they was convicted on tax evasion but not on the bank deposits. Surprised that they even charged em with not depositing all yer cash all at once. In 1980's made serious legit loot by grey marketing(i wuz single at the time) and broke checks into sub 10k not to avoid taxes but to avoid being tracked by the pernicuous vendor. thanx, bil Our bureaucracy and our laws have turned the world into a clean, safe work camp. We are raising a nation of slaves. Chuck Palahniuk
Post #6,030 by dmarker2 8/21/01 8:32:04 AM Reply	Re: didja also know - NUP :-) - but that really is bizzare In Aust they have two taxes they charge us (well them now that I'm an expat) - one tax is for depositing money & the other tax is for withdrawing money - the names are the FID & BAD taxes. (I think one is a state tax & the other federal - WADE help !) I despise govts that tax citizens as much as the current NSW & Aust govts do. In Aust you have Death duties Capital Gains tax BAD & FID tax GST tax Payroll tax Company tax Petrol tax Road Tax State Housing Stamp Duty ( a monumental rip off of unbelievable proportions) The thing that sent me out of the country was that they tax the interest your savings on which you have already paid tax & thus discourage in a well - smallish way, saving large sums of money. God forbid it, but Australia is getting like California. (grin) Doug Marker
Post #6,040 by drewk 8/21/01 9:59:14 AM Reply	Do you have any references on that? You ususally quote sources. I'd like to show a few people this one, but I can't say, "It's true because I trust this guy." I'd love to see the details of the "package deal" myself, anyway. This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Post #6,076 by Andrew Grygus 8/21/01 12:36:10 PM Reply	My main source is Los Angeles Times (dead tree). [link\|http://www.latimes.com/business/la-000066885aug18.story\|Here's the link], but get it fast, the LATimes moves articles to "pay-for-play" pretty quickly. I've been watching for a more permanently linkable source (and one with fewer pop-ups), but haven't found anything comprehensive yet. Here's a typical [link\|http://www.consolewire.com/news/item.asp?nid=1646\|XBox deal]. [link\|http://www.aaxnet.com\|AAx]
Post #6,089 by drewk 8/21/01 1:54:32 PM Reply	Grazie This is my sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Post #6,207 by tonytib 8/22/01 12:32:10 AM Reply	There's no way in hell I'll pay $600 - $1200 for a bundle that's ridiculous. Besides, it's downright fugly. Tony Who has already seen the Gamecube in person, twice
Post #6,047 by DonRichards 8/21/01 10:17:00 AM Reply	So how do you really feel? "As for Microsoft's "partners" getting screwed, I haven't a drop of sympathy. Anyone who can't see what happens to Microsoft partners by this late date should simply be removed from the gene pool for the betterment of the species." That would make a good .sig. "When it crosses my mind to do something, I don't ask why, I ask why not. And usually there's no reason not to, so I just go ahead. It's given me the strangest collection of hats"
Post #6,140 by andread 8/21/01 4:51:18 PM Reply	Re: Microsoft goes for the wallet with XBox. My son wants an Xbox but I told him he should wait a few months after it came out to see what it was really all about He said (basically) 'gee, dad, I have to wait at least a few months because I didn't pre-order one, the stores I go to have so many pre-orders who knows when I'll get one' I told him I was a good MS clone and would hunt for discounts direct from MS but he laughed A Play I Some Music w/ Papa Andy Saturday 8 PM - 11 PM ET All Night Rewind 11 PM - 5 PM Reggae, African and Caribbean Music [link\|http://wxxe.org\|http://wxxe.org]
Post #6,227 by wharris2 8/22/01 2:36:07 AM Reply	Poor father Andread, you should have educated your son better. (smack smack) French Zombies are zapping me with lasers!
Post #6,350 by andread 8/22/01 3:01:35 PM Reply	Re: Poor father wharris2 said: Andread, you should have educated your son better. (smack smack) well I tried yesterday when I told him that according to this forum he would need at least 499 + tax to get an xbox A Play I Some Music w/ Papa Andy Saturday 8 PM - 11 PM ET All Night Rewind 11 PM - 5 PM Reggae, African and Caribbean Music [link\|http://wxxe.org\|http://wxxe.org]

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