Microsoft has decided to cut prices on their Vista software in China, slashes prices up to 67% compared to the suggested retail pricing in the US. China is the 2nd largest buyer of software in the world and also accounts for the largest known seller of pirated Windows software. Microsoft is hoping that the price cuts will stimulate sales of their Vista operating system, bringing the price down to the same level as Windows XP.

Which brings to mind something that I was thinking about just this week. In a true market place, in which rival companies compete for our business, we normally can expect lower prices as more and more units of a given product are sold. There are numerous examples such as microwave ovens, tv’s, computers and so forth, that we consumers have benefited from lower pricing over the years.

Yet when it comes to software like Windows, we religiously all fall in line and follow each other like sheep, no matter how high the pricing may be. I include myself in this group as well. Over the years I know I have spent thousands of dollars on upgrading Windows and MS Office products as well as other software and hardware. I still find in hard to break away from the Microsoft merry-go-round and actually use one of the alternative operating systems.

But in the back of my mind, I know that one day I will need to make a choice. I applaud those of you who have left Windows behind and are using an alternative OS. Maybe, just maybe, Google will offer me the answer and come up with their own OS. One can only hope that Google will in fact do this.

Comments welcome.

Full story here.

Tags: microsoft, vista, google, china, price cuts