If there is one thing that China is famous for in the modern era, it would be the ability of the country’s factories to churn out knockoffs, be they fashion or technology. Where the latter is concerned, we do know that piracy is a huge issue to tackle, although there has been advances made over time. Microsoft has been touted to work on a a specific Windows 8 SKU specially for the Chinese market, and chances are it will be a whole lot more affordable compared to the other versions of Windows. This is because the country’s per capita income is still relatively low compared to other countries, so to purchase a similar SKU as in the West is definitely a deterrent, and could spark off demand for pirated software.
It is a Catch 22 situation, some say. Software companies might claim that they charge high prices simply because of the rampant levels of piracy, while those who use pirated software at home say that if the original copy were to be a whole lot cheaper, then they would ditch pirated software in an instant. What do you think of the situation? Either way, it is nice to see Microsoft do their bit to bridge the gap.