In order to compete with the Thai government's plan to sell a million cheapo Linux PCs, which we covered earlier, Microsoft did some fancy footwork on pricing. And on activation. According to the Journal, Microsoft said it would sell WIndows XP and Office at a piffling $36 a PC. And Microsoft also agreed to make specific Thai versions of Windows XP, IE and the Media Player.
But here's the real stunner, aside from the price. The Vole also removed the need for product activation for Windows XP in Thailand, at the government's request. So what gives? If it can do all these marvellous things in Thailand, why not anywhere else on our planet? As Windows XP forms a particularly large item in a PC's bill of materials, resellers everywhere would certainly welcome this one.
