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IP: MICROSOFT SAYS ITS FUTURE LIES IN SUBSCRIPTIONS: Edupage, June 1, 2001
From: David Farber <dave () farber net>
Date: Fri, 01 Jun 2001 19:10:22 -0400
Seems to me this is how IBM made a lot of money till Justice stopped it -- they called it rentals djf
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said the company is gearing itself to collect subscription revenues rather than offer only packaged software. The company is moving forward with a subscription model on several fronts, including the MSN ISP business, the HailStorm Web service, year-long subscriptions to the new Windows XP products, and Microsoft's new interactive TV product, UltimateTV. Already, the company has engineered many of its products for the move, such as incorporating a Web architecture in Office XP products so that they can be easily integrated into back-end office solutions from Great Plains Software. Microsoft acquired Great Plains this year and has begun packaging Great Plains software with Office features such as Excel and Outlook. Analysts question the new model, however, saying it could endanger Microsoft's stable business and cause mass confusion in the marketplace. (Wall Street Journal, 31 May 2001)
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- IP: MICROSOFT SAYS ITS FUTURE LIES IN SUBSCRIPTIONS: Edupage, June 1, 2001 David Farber (Jun 01)