Apple isnit the only company feeling the heat from its customers for what it charges for its products; Microsoft is feeling unloved lately because its new software licensing plan is not being well received. According to a News.com article titled "Corel targets irked Microsoft customers," Corel is banking on Microsoftis stumble to pick up some customers for its office productivity tools, which are in direct competition with Microsoftis Office suite. From the article:
Scrappy software maker Corel hopes business customers frustrated by Microsoftis controversial new licensing programs will be ready for a change.
The Canadian company, whose fortunes have zigzagged in recent years after a tough fight for financial survival, is offering businesses a free one-year trial of its WordPerfect word processing application. The hope is that a percentage that try the program will decide they can live without Microsoftis full Office package and switch to ala carte software, including WordPerfect.
"Itis designed to position Corel and take advantage of a great deal of frustration that has been building up in the Microsoft customer base over the enterprise licensing program," said David Roberts, vice president of enterprise solutions for Corel.
Instead of forcing customers to buy the complete set of offcie tool as Microsoftis plan does, Corel will offer software in an a la carte fashion, customers buy only what they need, thus they save money. From the article:
A big part of Corelis argument centers on buying individual software programs rather than pre-packaged suites. Office customers have to buy a package that includes spreadsheet, database and presentation programs when all that most users need is word processing, Roberts said.
"Part of the frustration companies are feeling is that they donit need a thousand copies of PowerPoint," Microsoftis presentation program bundled with Office, he said.
Roberts acknowledged that itis become habitual for most companies to buy software in packaged suites. "This would be a massive strategy change for a company to do this, to look at componentized software where you buy what you need instead of what somebody is selling you," he said. "Thereis so much frustration out there, we think we can get some people to convert."
You can read the full article at News.com.