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No, you're wrong
The point is you can't buy the PC without Windows. At $299, probably better than 20% of the price of the PC is the OS. Why can't I get one sans OS for $249?

Microsoft's 'sell Windows with every PC or we'll raise your price for Windows' forces companies to sell Windows with every PC regardless.

Or maybe you're happy to pay a 20% premium to buy products with options you don't want when it is simple and practical for the manufacturer not to install the option in the first place?

If MS had that deal with only one or two OEMs, fine, but when they use their market power (i.e. monopoly) to force all OEMs into the deal then that is an abuse of their power. OEMs don't have a choice - if they don't kow-tow to MS, their price of Windows goes up and they become uncompetitive. Even IBM buckled. Note that the OEM price for Windows is $40 to $60 (no one will tell you exactly what they are paying) yet the RRP for XP Pro is $299. Justify that.

Are consumers really better off paying 20% more for a PC because of Microsoft's monopoly?
Posted by: Fred Fredrickson   Posted on: 07/05/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use
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More talk from MS  Richard Flude | 07/01/05
Go files antitrust suit against Microsoft  Loverock Davidson | 07/01/05
You probably think that Sun, AOL, and IBM did not have a case either.  DonnieBoy | 07/02/05
Poor LoveyDove has turned Microshill Extraordinaire  Jeff Spicoli | 07/02/05
The latest installment from that Mike Cox imitator:  Judas I. | 07/02/05
Antitrust form 20 years ago?  jmills@... | 07/01/05
You don't know your history, do you?  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 07/03/05
No I think you don't know your head from your arstechnica  jmills@... | 10/11/05
Guess this money grab  Boot_Agnostic | 07/04/05
No, it's for real and will likely succeed.  Fred Fredrickson | 07/05/05
But...  rapson | 07/05/05
Funny even then, I couldn't buy a computer with DRDOS on it. (NT)  Update victim | 07/04/05
But you could buy a computer with PCDOS  voska | 07/04/05
Go was another company  John Zern | 07/02/05
The OS SHOULDN'T be that important.  Immanuel Tranz-Mischen | 07/03/05
What are you talking about?  Squawkbox | 07/04/05
OH !  Update victim | 07/04/05
You mean FreeDOS counts as an OS  Boot_Agnostic | 07/04/05
Sorry You are wrong  Squawkbox | 07/04/05
No, you're wrong  Fred Fredrickson | 07/05/05
Still wrong!  ShadeTree | 07/06/05
Not any more  rapson | 07/06/05
Dell  richhayes | 07/05/05
Just because Dell doesn't offer it ...  ShadeTree | 07/05/05
AHH!  Real World | 07/05/05
Ha ha  Fred Fredrickson | 07/05/05
It's the new linux tax  Boot_Agnostic | 07/05/05
Wrong conclusion!  ShadeTree | 07/06/05
No that's not it  osreinstall | 07/07/05
And you point is??  michaeldschmidt | 07/07/05
Go could would should ve shined the Apple  Boot_Agnostic | 07/04/05
Next up...  Rodney Davis | 07/02/05
Uhhhh....  bugmenotznet | 07/02/05
That's my point...  Rodney Davis | 07/03/05
Read More About It (TM)  bugmenotznet | 07/02/05
Exactly.  GuyAlanDye | 07/03/05
Why did he wait so long to sue?  Rodney Davis | 07/03/05
Dunno  Mark Miller | 07/04/05
You refer to the DOJ several times  vferrara | 07/05/05
Why he waited so long to sue.....  An_Axe_to_Grind | 07/05/05
But if the case had merit...  Rodney Davis | 07/06/05
Go legal action against Microsoft  ALFRED_z | 07/02/05
So what about Apple?  michaeldschmidt | 07/07/05
Let the evidence be the seed  Boot_Agnostic | 07/04/05
Billions in the bank  voska | 07/04/05
Ongoing Criminal Enterprize!  An_Axe_to_Grind | 07/05/05
I'll bite  vferrara | 07/05/05
Not to mention...  rapson | 07/05/05
One plus One does not equal three  ShadeTree | 07/06/05
Sorry this post is to the wrong response(nt)  ShadeTree | 07/06/05
Take your Meds boy!  osreinstall | 07/07/05

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