Re: CFA: Microsoft overcharges consumers $10 billion in 3 years

[Mitch Stone <mstone@vc.net>]

--- From a message sent by Eric M. Bennett on 1/8/99 6:51 PM ---

>Microsoft can get away with this because consumers don't see these price
>increases.  They're masked by falling hardware prices.  If the price of a
>hard drive drops $50 and the price of Windows goes up $10, the only thing
>most consumers see is that a computer maker has dropped its prices by $40.
>When Microsoft talks about how inexpensive computing is today relative to
>several years ago, consumers can nod in agreement, because it's the truth.
>The *full* truth is that computing gets cheaper in spite of Redmond, not
>because of it.

Exactly. Gates offered this bit of hyperbole before the Senate Committee 
last year. I was very disappointed that nobody saw fit to call him on it.

Mitch Stone
mstone@vc.net