Microsoft cuts Vista price in China
6 August 2007
Microsoft more than halved the price of its Windows Vista operating system in China this month, the Wall Street Journal reported. The price of the basic version of the operating system was reduced from US$200 to US$67, and the premium version from US$234 to US$117. The lower prices are intended to encourage Chinese consumers to buy original copies of Vista rather than counterfeit versions, said representatives of the US software company. Microsoft said the new prices would allow consumers to "enjoy the legal version of Windows Vista." In May, a report by International Data Corp found that 82% of software used last year was pirated, compared with 92% in 2003 and 86% in 2005. The study also found that the authentic software market grew by 88% to US$1.2 billion last year. China is the world's second-largest personal computer market behind the US.