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| Digital Distribution in my World | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: May 17 2010, 09:59 AM (110 Views) | |
| [=T=] The Immortal Moo | May 17 2010, 09:59 AM Post #1 |
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Digital Distribution in my world As an information technology student, computers are part of my future career but they are also part of my everyday life. During the times that I have little to no responsibilities and have some time to do what I want to do, I am usually playing a video game or working in Photoshop, which is an image editing program, on my computer. I will be discussing how software is important and why I feel that digital distribution is a good choice to go with, but also some of its problems that I face to this day. Everyone that uses a computer is using software, the software is what makes the hardware of the computer communicate and function. Software can be as basic as the system BIOS, Basic Input Output System that checks for any malfunctioning hardware before your system boots up, to the most complex software that is dependent on other software to even function. When I turn my computer on, during its boot up, I am given a few choices of different operating systems, an operating system is software that allows the hardware to function and be configured by a user that I have installed on my computer. My choices consist of a free, open source, operating system that I was able to download for free or Microsoft Windows which is not free. Microsoft’s Windows operating systems draw a hefty price, ranging from $120 to $320, depending on the version. This software can be purchased in a store for the same price as the downloadable copy, meaning I would have to pay the same price as if I was going to a store and picking up a physical copy. A physical copy includes a case to hold the disc, the disc(s) that have the software and the instructions among other printed out documentation. If the price of the product were to be less expensive than its current price, I would have been less inclined to download a non legitimate copy of the operating system for my new computer. Software companies charge such a high price for their products because they think people pirate, pirating is using a copy of the product without paying for it, and make up for the lack of sales they would have made. The logic used by these companies can be reversed, if the prices for the software were cheaper, less people would be inclined to have to pirate for the products. When I want to get a new game or program that is not free I can choose between going to the local store and purchasing a physical copy that has the packaging that the manufacture included with the software, or I can just go to the website of the manufacture and pay online for my product then download it directly to my computer. Companies have to potential to charge less for their products online, and some do, but the majority of software manufactures charge the same amount of money that their retail customers pay for their products. That means that they are seeing more of the profits without having to use a retailer to get their product to the consumers, cutting out the middle man, which in turn saves money for the manufacturer. For me the consumer, there is a minor saving that is available for any purchase online, there is no tax charge. So far we have covered that there is a potential for less piracy, and that the manufacturer saves money, now I want to talk about how this allows products to be accessed by a bigger market and allowing products to be available much longer than normally allowed in stores. Using the internet as a means of selling a product, specifically a digital product, which digital products require no shipping of a physical product, will allow a wider range of potential consumers. I can literally download a piece of software that was made across the world that was never released in American with a few keystrokes and a click of a button. Some software companies offer deals on older software sold at a much cheaper price than their most current versions, and even have bundle deals where if a customer were to buy a specific amount of copies they would get the copies at a lower price or have a discount on a different product. While there are many opportunities where digital distribution could be saving the consumer money for the products they buy, most companies have yet to change how much they charge for their product. Due to this lack of caring for the customer’s needs, many cases of computer piracy have been active over the years and continue to rise, I for one have downloaded something that I did not have the digital rights to have a copy of. With the benefits of not having to pay for taxes, or shipping, as well as not having to use any transportation to obtain what software I wish to purchase I have found that digital distribution has been something that has greatly impacted the way I purchase software. |
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7:30 PM Jul 10