Gawker: valleywag, office

Microsoft's cut-rate PR firm says they just cut rates on Office 2007

Alaska Miller — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:40:00 EDT

It's been a few months since school started, but it's never too late to spam blogs! A Microsoft flack had no shame in trying to sell the Ace Online Schools blog on old versions of Office at bargain-basement prices using a copy-and-paste come-on. What prompted the pitch? The blogger who got the pitch suspects that a post he'd written about free Web apps for students drew the attention of a rep at Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft's longtime PR firm. Heck, maybe the process is automated — for all the effort Waggener Edstrom flacks put into it, it might as well be.

Microsoft starts selling Office subscriptions through Circuit City

Nicholas Carlson — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:00:00 EDT

Microsoft can't convince customers that they need the new version of Office anymore, so they'e begun to sell it as software-as-a-service, bundled with security software. "Security is basically the No. 1 thing that gets attached with a PC," said Microsoft group product manager Bryson Gordon. The product, code-named "Albany" and now known as Equipt, will cost PC buyers an extra $20 a year over the $49 per year price Microsoft charges for its OneCare antivirus software. Why don't they just let users download the software? That might seem easier, but retailers like Circuit City move a lot of Xboxes and Windows PCs, and the software giant can't afford to leave them grounded as computing moves to the cloud.

Microsoft's absurd software subscription

Owen Thomas — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:40:00 EDT

Bill Gates has long dreamed of getting his customers to pay by the month, not by the shrinkwrapped box, for his software. As the Microsoft founder gets ready to depart, his company is just barely realizing his vision. But this is Microsoft, so they're doing it in the most asinine manner imaginable. Mary Jo Foley reports that Microsoft is testing a package of software and services, codenamed "Albany," for which consumers will pay a monthly fee. Sounds promising, until you dig into what Microsoft is actually offering.

Here's Foley's description:

Albany consists of 2007 version of Office Home and Student; Office Live Workspace, Microsoft's collaboration-service complement to Office; Windows Live OneCare, Microsoft's consumer security/backup service; and three Windows Live services — Live Mail, Live messenger and Photo Gallery. The bundle will be delivered via a single installer. When Microsoft releases new versions of any of these software or service components, Albany users will get the latest versions pushed to them automatically for as long as they are paying for the Albany subscription.

So, to review:

Office-productivity software that can be had for $119 at Amazon.com, but is likely already installed on a user's computer.
A "collaboration" service most home users will have no need for
Windows Live OneCare, a PC-security and maintenance service which Microsoft already sells as a subscription
Three Web services Microsoft already offers for free

The real object here is to get consumers used to paying something, anything, by the month for Microsoft's software. But why should they? Google Docs is free. For most consumers, Microsoft Office and PC antivirus software might as well be free, since they get it bundled with a new computer, from their employer, or through less proper means.

Microsoft hasn't specified what they'll charge, but lets assume they don't plan to lose money. A discounted copy of Office runs $119; OneCare costs $49.95 a year. Office Live Workspace is in beta, so Microsoft's not charging yet. Still, let's call it $15 a month. I can't see consumers paying that much for a package they mostly already have.

In "Albany," Microsoft has picked a perfect codename: a byword for bureaucratic waste, dysfunction, and corruption. As in New York's capital, someone needs to clean house. And as in New York's capital, it's not going to happen.