|
|
Actually, we're all cash cows, but I wanted to get your attention.
Apple uses the cult of personality to overcharge its customers for equipment that is sexy looking but with less stability and features than its competition. However, Microsoft gets the prize for out-and-out subterfuge designed to squeeze more revenue from its customer base (cash cows). How do they lie and cheat? Read on. As a corporate entity with retail concerns, Microsoft of course wants to increase and maximize their profit margin. Just like a car manufacturer, they have a product they want consumers to choose, so they use whatever means they can think of to generate that interest. Ford is one of the oldest and still one of the most profitable car companies. Judge Microsoft for yourself in this side-by-side comparison that follows: Microsoft advertises in print and electronic media. Ford does the same. Microsoft employs research and development teams to produce products that will hopefully capture your interest as a consumer. Ford does the same. Microsoft has marketing teams that determine the maximum price you are willing to pay for any given Microsoft product, and charge you one penny less than that. In order to remain competitive in a field with much more competition, Ford must base their price points on production overhead, because if they used the Microsoft method, they would eventually fail to more efficient companies. Microsoft uses back room deals (and threats of breach-of-contract) with computer manufacturers to guarantee that software competitors are not represented in new computers (look up the history of Netscape and Internet Explorer). Ford produces their own hardware, so there is no way for them to commit this monopolization technique. Microsoft forces its customers to upgrade their operating system (OS), whether they want to or not. Ford... Now wait just a second, Sponge Freddie! How could any company force their customers to buy something they wouldn't otherwise decide to buy on their own? Behold the shifty corral that keeps all the cash cows submissively chewing their cud: 1) Microsoft begins the process by officially no longer supporting a particular OS by a certain date. 2) The warnings begin long before the OS is "deprecated": If you use it past date X, you will be risking the ruination of your computer, due to those pesky hackers doing nasty things to you online. You decide to ignore the warnings, because you are comfortable with, and enjoy using, that particular OS. Plus why should you pay more for a new OS when you can do everything you want with your current one? 3) Microsoft, knowing this is the default mindset of all users except chronic early adopters, starts their underhanded machinations to force your hand once the end-of-support day passes. 4) Suddenly one day, without warning, an Adobe Flash update renders you unable to watch YouTube videos and most others. This is because Adobe has adopted a new API from Microsoft that is intentionally not backwards compatible with the OS that existed right before the one(s) they still support. The short explanation of an API is that it's a software component that, among other things, provides rules for what will and will not work with it. 5) Being unable to watch videos is a major problem, but you are a clever user who realizes there are old updates for Adobe Flash available online, and decide to go back to your previous version of Flash. But this is a band-aid that soon completely fails, because one of the features of the new API is that new videos being produced with the new version of Adobe Flash refuse to work with your older version. 6) You dig further and realize you can use the new update if you upgrade your version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer! So you visit Microsoft.com to upgrade your version of Internet Explorer. 7) Microsoft's web site identifies your OS as the one they have most recently "deprecated," so when you navigate to the page to get the version of Internet Explorer you need to use the new Flash update, you are informed by Microsoft that the desired version of Internet Explorer is not compatible with your OS, which contradicts Wikipedia's list of what will work with your OS. 8) Again, being a clever user, you realize you can download a legal, untainted version of Internet Explorer that you need from places other than Microsoft. So you do so, and attempt to install it. Lo and behold, it installs and works just fine, despite the creators of it insisting it won't. 9) This works for a while, then doesn't, as Microsoft is aware of your desire to avoid upgrading to their latest OS, and has many factors in play to force you into a corner. 10) On other fronts, other software developers play into Microsoft's scheme, such as game makers. You know this because suddenly your favorite online game, which has always supported your OS, performs server maintenance which includes an update that you can't reverse if you want to continue playing. And guess what? With no warning, officially or in forums, your OS can no longer start the game. Why? Because the developers are forced to use a new API from Microsoft. If they don't use it, they can't access some new feature(s) they wish to implement for their game, that could make it more fun or cool for their players to use. 11) You think, to heck with this, I'll just dual boot to Linux and skip all this nonsense. Aha! A great idea, but Microsoft is one step ahead of you once again. 12) Microsoft Silverlight, which you need to watch Netflix (thank you, Greed Hastings), is not compatible with Linux. There are workarounds, but most people don't want to deal with the steps involved to make it happen. 13) The new EFI firmware and GPT partitioning scheme, which overcome the "limitations" of 32bit computing on an x86 platform, make it very difficult to dual boot, for all but the most astute computer geeks. No, Microsoft did not create EFI or GPT, but somehow new computers sporting their latest operating system just happen to puke on your shoes if you try to revert to your favorite previous version of Windows (now referred to as a "legacy" version). So where does all this leave you? With no choice, of course! You must upgrade your OS to continue enjoying key features of your computer if you're too stubborn to move to Linux and don't want to pay artificially inflated prices for Apple toys. Score one more victory for Microsoft! Microsoft: billions and billions. Cash cow user base: zero. |