Microsoft is like Kleenex

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/04/19/microsoft_windows_xp_starter/
http://caribjournal.com/2007/04/19/microsoft-unveils-3-windows-xp-office-2007-package/

Microsoft has launhed ap lan that will help a suspected 5 billion people in dveloping countries through their new outreach program, "the Partners in Learning program". They have created a new software package entitled Microsoft Student Innovation Suite, which will be VERY cheap for students. This package includes Windows XP Starter Edition, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Microsoft Math 3.0 (what is this?) Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft Office, and Windows Live Mail Desktop. This package must be puchased directly by 'qualifying governments' and supplied directly to students, which will begin in the second half of 2007. It is being sold for $3. The program, Partners in Learnign program is active in 101 countries currenlty, reahing more than 57 million students worldwide. I would like to know how they are supplying this directly to governments.
I think I am a little skeptial, it's only going to "qualifying governments", they are using old software (XP, not Vista) and seriously, $3? Sounds too good to be true, but who am I to judge....
So pretty much in these articles, we watch closely as Microsoft takes over the wrold for total domination. Microsoft, or rather packages similar to the ones offered by Microsoft (writing programs, presentation programs, database programs, etc. Which by the way, its hard to think of names for these programs besides the names we know and love brought to us by : Microsoft). Anyway, Microsoft and programs would be part of monopolistic competition because they have similar, yet different goods, and they are competing within the same market that is not THAT difficult to enter/exit. Microsoft, coming from a power hosue with lots of money, has enough profits each year to start selling packages for much cheaper so as to break into the poor students and indigent markets. This will open more doors up for Microsoft in the long run, regardless of the fact that they are selling cheaper products, they are now selling to consumers they did not have prior to the price reduction. I think that Microsoft is very smart to use this tactic, becasue they are lowering the prices so much they are making it difficult for other companies to compete, and they are seen as heroes because htey are doing good for more people in the world (YAY!). Anyway, since Microsoft is a big name, more people want this brand in the first name, because we don't think of it as word processing software, we think of it as Microsoft Word, becasue Microsoft is like Kleenex, the brand name has taken over hte product name.