Re: Gateway Upgrade Policy for MCE 2005

From: Whiting Toler (whiting_hatesspam_at_whitingandtracy.com)
Date: 11/10/04 

Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2004 10:55:20 -0800

Thanks for the detailed response. I have comments and
follow-ups for the questions you answered and a
restatement of the one you didn't (downloadable upgrades).
Please address each of the questions below and others
(MVPs, OEMs, customers, etc.) should feel free to jump in
as well. If you're thinking "geez, nothing I can say is
going to satisfy this guy", you may be right as I believe
the OEM-only model to be untenable for MS. It's time for
MS to step in, admit the model isn't working, and save the
day here with alternatives for existing users! Thanks in
advance for addressing these points:

- I agree that Gateway is partially responsible and, trust
me, they will draw my wrath as a consumer and consultant.
They're off my radar for good.

- MS did choose to distribute MCE via only OEM channels so
in my view they are also responsible for not taking good
care of the channel that ultimately reaches the consumer.
MS should have OEMs to commit to supporting upgrades for
the reasonable life expectancy of the system so long as
the original hardware is compatible. Remember, consumers
are the true customer here not the OEMs. Shouldn't MS be
accountable for arranging a distribution strategy that is
so hostile toward the consumer?

- I, like many other early adopters, am all too familiar
with the OEM-only rationale put out there by MS (i.e.
stringent hardware requirements). I guess it was useful to
repeat for others that might happen across this thread.

- How would using an HCL cause the "burden of support [to]
fall back to Microsoft". That's what an HCL is all about
isn't it? If you stray from the HCL, you're on your own,
right?

- I also know about the OEM CD set option, which requires
the consumer to also purchase hardware. Some OEMs are
likely less strict than others about what qualifies
as "hardware" but it still requires the consumer to spend
additional $ on hardware and a full (not upgrade) version
of the OS they don't necessarily need. Why should this not
feel like a quid pro quo between MS and the OEMs at the
consumer's expense?

- What would be wrong with a compromise that required full
versions of MCE be provided only via the OEMs but having
upgrades available via download for a reasonable cost and
with support disclaimers. This would get the OEMs and MS
of the hook and make many of us happy? What's wrong with
this?

- Unless I'm mistaken, MCE2005 is the means by which MS
has chosen to deploy WinXP SP2 to MCE. Does that mean that
the great benefits, particularly security-related, are not
available unless you buy MCE2005 with hardware from an
OEM? Does that sound fair? Why shouldn't we feel abandoned
by MS and the OEMs?

>-----Original Message-----
>"Whiting Toler" <whiting_hatesspam@whitingandtracy.com>
wrote in message
>news:4ced01c4c6bd$d67cacb0$a601280a@phx.gbl...
>> Please see the Gateway Support FAQ at the bottom of this
>> post. Is this what MS intended the early adopter
>> experience to be? This amounts to a bait-and-switch by
>> Gateway with MS having plausible deniability via its
OEM-
>> only model.
>>
>>
http://support.gateway.com/s/software/MICROSOF/7513249/751
>> 3249faq220.shtml
>>
>> Can someone from MS please respond directly to this?
>> Also, please tell us why MCE could not be sold off the
>> shelf with a Hardware Compatability List as waas done
>> with the NT line? Furthermore, what's to stop MS from
>> offering the upgrade directly, this wouldn't require the
>> OEM to support it and MS could include "upgrade at your
>> own risk" disclaimers. I think all of us (Gateway
>> customers or not) should continue to ask these questions
>> until we get a satisfactory response.
>>
>
>According to the link you have posted - it appears that
Gateway have chosen
>to only supply MCE 2005 on new systems. This is within
their rights to do
>this. At no point in your purchase of your existing
Media Center PC from
>Gateway did they promise a free (or chargeable) upgrade
to an future MCE
>products.
>One reason that MCE is available as an OEM product is
that given the
>hardware restrictions and requirements the best people to
support this
>product are the OEMs who will ship a device of a
precisely know spec (from
>them) which will allow them to provide the best degree of
support for that
>known platform.
>It is possible that Gateway have chosen to only offer MCE
2005 as a
>preinstalled OS as this will allow then to know precisely
the configuration
>of those devices from a support perspective.
>
>As regards your question about just making MCE available
retail with an HCL,
>most of our NT based opertaing systems have had an HCL in
the past and this
>has not prevented persons trying to install products on
unsupported systems
>etc. If MCE was made available retail then the burden of
support would fall
>back to Microsoft and we would have to deal with a most
diverse set of
>hardware configurations for a product that does have
specific requirements.
>This would lead to both customer dissatisfaction and also
the retailers
>potentially receiving a high number of returns of
products due to end user
>purchase without understanding the full ramifications of
their actions. You
>should note that the vast majority of purchases of
operating systems are not
>technically savvy persons capable of installing and
configuring their own
>hardware and operating systems. OEM only shipments allow
for a better end
>user experience for the majority of customers. For the
technically savvy
>their is always the option of the self build route (and
obvious support
>issues this will bring) so toady you can already purchase
MCE 2005 as an OEM
>CD set - this is a choice open to you.
>
>So as it stands now - if you OEM chooses to not provide
an upgrade path and
>you are willing to take the risk and loss of support then
you can perform
>your own install with the purchase of the OEM CD set from
anyone of a number
>of outlets. So in effect the second half of your
question is that you can
>buy an upgrade that you install at your own risk.
>
>
>--
>
>Regards,
>
>Mike
>--
>Mike Brannigan [Microsoft]
>
>This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and
confers no
>rights
>
>Please note I cannot respond to e-mailed questions,
please use these
>newsgroups
>
>"Whiting Toler" <whiting_hatesspam@whitingandtracy.com>
wrote in message
>news:4ced01c4c6bd$d67cacb0$a601280a@phx.gbl...
>> Please see the Gateway Support FAQ at the bottom of this
>> post. Is this what MS intended the early adopter
>> experience to be? This amounts to a bait-and-switch by
>> Gateway with MS having plausible deniability via its
OEM-
>> only model.
>>
>>
http://support.gateway.com/s/software/MICROSOF/7513249/751
>> 3249faq220.shtml
>>
>> Can someone from MS please respond directly to this?
>> Also, please tell us why MCE could not be sold off the
>> shelf with a Hardware Compatability List as waas done
>> with the NT line? Furthermore, what's to stop MS from
>> offering the upgrade directly, this wouldn't require the
>> OEM to support it and MS could include "upgrade at your
>> own risk" disclaimers. I think all of us (Gateway
>> customers or not) should continue to ask these questions
>> until we get a satisfactory response.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Q: Can I upgrade my Media Center Edition 2004 operating
>> system to Media Center Edition 2005?
>>
>> A: No. The Media Center Edition 2005 operating system
>> software that is offered on new Gateway computers is a
>> completely new operating system, and is not available
for
>> upgrades. This software is only available from Gateway
on
>> new computers, and is not available through Microsoft or
>> through retail channels.
>> The only way to receive Media Center 2005 from Gateway
is
>> to purchase a new computer with it preinstalled."
>
>
>.
>

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