Microsoft Anti-Virus Pricing Ripples?

[moneoa]

<p>Microsoft Corp. announced yesterday that beginning in June it would start charging $49.95 a year for <a href="http://ideas.live.com/">Windows Onecare Live</a>, a (currently free) managed-security service designed to protect Windows PCs from viruses, spyware and other Internet attacks. </p><p>Leaving aside the question of whether consumers will move in droves to pay Microsoft to fix problems that it is at least partly responsible for, the real question seems to be whether the other anti-virus vendors will lower prices and/or change their licensing terms to allow their products to be used on more than one machine. </p><p>That's because Microsoft has said it will allow customers to install the software on up to three different Windows machines, a practice virtually unheard of at that price point in the consumer PC security market. </p><p>Microsoft's subscription rate comes in at the lower end of the pricing scale set by the other major vendors offering bundles of anti-spyware, anti-virus and firewall protection software, but none of the major players in the consumer market -- including Symantec, McAfee or Trend Micro -- currently allows customers to install a subscription on more than one PC for that price. </p><p>Trend is the only vendor that even comes close, marketing a 3-license copy of its PC-cillin suite for $89.99. Both Symantec and McAfee charge $119.99 for a three-license purchase of their Internet security suites.</p>

Read the complete article (http://www.zeropaid.com/news/6140/Microsoft+Anti-Virus+Pricing+Ripples%3F/)

[MonkeyMadness]

One wonders how far they'll take their "care" of your computer... I can imagine a scenario like this.... "Warning! Windows OneCare has detected a file related to Linux on your computer! This dangerous file might lower our profit margins and lead you to believe in dangerous concepts like free software! Deleting file LinuxInstaller.tar....."

[mountain_rage]

Monkeymadness as much as I hate microsoft there is no way they would do that. There are so many legal problems that would be associated no company is stupid enough to try and pull that off. What im really looking at is how well there system will work.

The thing that is astonishing about virus protection is that people pay for it at all with free alternatives circulating that work just as well as the retail protection. It really is true what they say a sucker is born every day. Most people think they need the absolute best and doupt they can get quality for free.

[Class316]

Just use AVG. It's free and it works perfect.

[MorphineInduced]

so i guess bill can make more money since fools will buy his broken software and then he can charge them even more to keep fixing it..... wow .... and also dont get a program that is suppost to protect your comp just because its freee...... and trend micros pcciliian is the best thhat is out and all i can say even if you get it , doesnt mean you wont get something .... and why in all worry about viruses and shit i mean you are running windows for gods sake you get what you pay for....... and yet linux is free and yet doesnt even have a quarter of problems or viruses on it .... but ya it does take a little more to get used to ...... if anyone is interested though in solving the up coming delema that you will be going through if stay with the windows platform then go SUSE Linux..... easiest and prolly the best way to go if you switch since its really set up for user friendly access and has alot of help files ..... and you can still run window programs if you desire.... but this discussion isnt about that so all i am saying is why even allow bill gates to keep selling you broken software and then making reasons on why hes charging to fix it...... its kind of apparent that hes trying to break it off in your ass