Another very interesting article for those interested.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Bott/?p=1561&tag=col1;post-1561

Hi, I have a OEM Copy of XP. I had called tech support for Help with an issue and basically the MS Tech support told me I can NOT get FRRE Support cause I am using an OEM Copy other then that they did NOT seem to have a problem with end users using a OEM Copy??

I hope this gets sorted I am upgrading soon???

Crazy monkeys. I guess they'd rather see people shy away from the 280USD price tag for Ultimate and PIRATE the Enterprise edition instead...

This is the first Windows in a very long time I specifically bought, usually I got mine from work or pre-installed. 180EUR for Ultimate is okay, but if they are trying to tell me I need to buy 300 or more, that's insane.

Yeah, they can be pretty stupid when it comes to money. I guess that's why they are hated by so many people for being so greedy.

It shows the problem of having to accept "artificial prices" for virtual goods.

I mean, if every Ultimate sold was 300EUR, it would seem acceptable - either you want it for that price, or not, I can live with that market reality of capitalism.

But once they start selling the very same thing for half the price to one group, and want another group to pay double, it gets infuriating.

And purely from a "value for money" point, I think most people are simple not used to paying extra for the OS. So MS would be wiser to ask a low price and get many sales than ask a high price and risk people resorting to piracy.

I like how the end of the article, the statement that previous literature on OEM was 'wrong'. Looks like an attempt at low blow-back roll-back of an OEM license policy.

And RSColonel... sure any other market would see competitors with lower prices and more features reaching out to customers. But Microsoft has business over a barrel. Your organization must have the next legal version of their product. Your applications, databases, and records are locked to this product upgrade path.

You have no alternative. So a higher unit price with a stringent license is most profitable.

BTW, the large German PC mag I get here at work - which is quite detailed and much better than the average mag you find at the store - has tested Win7 and states that the OEM is fine, it just doesn't include the two free Support Requests. Not even a mention of any legal hardware tie.

So, if even these editors got it wrong, how can MS expect the average customer to get it right?