Microsoft Low-Cost Windows

Microsoft today announced that it will launch $3 copies of its most popular software to greatly expand its user base. A special suite containing basic and student versions of Office and Windows will ship at that price to governments who offer PCs to students for free for personal use. The official goal is to double the existing number of Windows users in the world to a full two billion by 2015, Microsoft says.

The move is also seen as an attempt to counter the rampant piracy found in the region, where many computer users can find bootleg editions for similar prices. Microsoft may also be responding to Linux-based projects such as the One Laptop Per Child project, which relies on the low cost of Linux to make budget systems available to schools in developing countries.

By Electronista Staff