Vista Price Cuts Dissected - Just a Darn Minute (Page 4 of 4 )
The emails I brought up in the last section came out roughly around the same time Microsoft announced the price cuts to the Vista OS, leaving almost no time to sort out the emails and decipher the case's particulars. For instance, we know that Intel stood to gain from Microsoft's help by allowing them to meet quarterly earnings, but what did Intel promise to give Microsoft for their efforts? Seems to be a bit confusing, if you ask me.
Also, Windows Vista Home Basic really seems to be lacking the most essentials features of the other versions of the OS (it doesn't even have the Aero GUI), so why is it even put in the same class? Clearly Microsoft was too ashamed to distinguish their Vista Capable logo as Home Basic only. This probably has something to do with keeping Intel's older chipsets being relevant in some form of Vista.
Then there's the fact that Microsoft actually let this happen. Jim Allchin claims he didn't even learn about the scheme until after it happened. But even so, Microsoft should have settled the suit long before the emails came out, instead of taking it on the chin like they did. As far as I can tell, no one at the top of Microsoft's food chain has been punished. Of course, we're still recovering from the aftershocks of the emails.
All this brings us back to the fact that the Vista price cuts directly coincide with the emails and this case. Is it a cover up? Probably. But I don't think Microsoft will be able to swat this problem away so easily. Even if they do, there's the 899 million euros fine they received from the European Commission in late February for using high prices to prevent software competition. It looks like Bill Gates chose the perfect time to step down, eh?
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