Buy and Download Microsoft Software Legally Online in the UK
Microsoft today opened their dedicated UK online store selling retail Windows and Office products.
This is a good news / bad news story.
The good news is you can now download at the point of sale. So if you need Office 2007 at 3am, well now you can.
The bad news is their online store prices are ridiculous.
Example: Microsoft Office 2007 Professional
Microsoft UK Online Store £449.99 for Download
However…..
Amazon.co.uk Boxed Retail Product is £349.98 (Sold by Amazon)
This is such a crazy world. The company that makes the software can’t sell it cheaper than a competing Internet retailer based on a non physical product.
Microsoft then have the front to charge you extra for shipping and handling if you want a backup DVD of your software.
I find it more or less impossible to recommend anyone purchase from the Microsoft online store based on their pricing model.
Pay more get less, this is borderline moronic.
No doubt there is some anti competitive shenanigans Microsoft has to observe, but really why bother. Another boxed ticked at Microsoft HQ I guess.
Link: https://emea.microsoftstore.com/UK/
PS
If you believe in conspiracy theories this news story is running in the the same news cycle as Adobe announce a new online collaboration suite over at www.acrobat.com
Check out this write up
Link: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/adobe_launches_online_office_suite.php
I’m not kidding about the conspiracy either I monitor several Microsoft UK employees blogs and each one of them posted about the Microsoft online store one after each other like dominoes.
Office2007 User Interface
June 4th, 2008 at 9:10 am
I hear what you’re saying, Colin, but like any manufacturer/publisher who values their resellers and retailers they won’t compete with them on price. Amazon are one of the cheapest software stores so if Microsoft matched or beat their price then Amazon’s sales would suffer, not to mention all the independent software stores and the ones who only provide a token discount but make up for it in support they give to customers. Microsoft’s reseller & retailer networks would be up in arms.
Adobe has had an online store for many years and they never discount their products, but you can buy cheaper elsewhere. However, like Microsoft I think only Adobe’s store lets you download after purchasing. So if you have an urgent need for Office 2007 or Photoshop at 3am you’d have to pay the full retail price.
OMG, I just stuck up for Microsoft!
June 4th, 2008 at 9:27 am
Hi Gary
I agree in a way they are not allowed to compete on level playing field, so again why do they even bother.
As I said this just feels like the marketing bods can now tick the box “Offer products on-line”.
Colin
June 4th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Perhaps Microsoft’s HR department looked at their employee development plans and saw that their 100’s of web developers hadn’t built an e-commerce site before. So to give them that opportunity they commissioned this new store. What a thoughtful HR department!
June 4th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Thats more like you Gary