Microsoft Launches Store in the US, Realizes Software Can Actually Be Downloaded

Today we are seeing yet another move of Microsoft online as the company finally realized it can actually sell its own products online in a dedicated store belonging to the Redmond giant itself. So yesterday we witnessed the debut of Microsoft Store in the US after the idea of an online store had been tested in the UK, Germany, and Korea.

The store offers customers to buy just about everything - from Windows Vista and Microsoft Office to Xbox 360 games and Zune music players. Also present are computer peripherals manufactured by Microsoft, including mice and keyboards.

I doubt anyone will argue that this move is long overdue as an online store does not sound like anything revolutionary. Yet Microsoft’s program manager Trevin Chow sounds more than excited about finally letting people download software instead of only making us buy their products on a CD or a DVD. Downloads are currently available for software but not for the games.

Electronic Software Distribution (ESD) means that anyone will be able to buy Microsoft software and download it immediately after the payment is confirmed instead of paying for the shipment and waiting for the product to arrive. Re-downloading will be possible through the entire life of mainstream support of the product so there’s no real need in creating a backup on some physical medium - even though you are not forbidden to.

Of course the major benefits are clear to everyone as it’s faster and also more environmentally-friendly as no CDs, DVDs, plastic boxes or gasoline required for shipment are involved. Besides, I’d expect downloadable software to be cheaper as well - because the above factors are not involved again and the entire purchase only boils down to bandwidth.

This is exactly why identical prices for both downloadable and packaged software is beyond my understanding. Honestly, I expected that the version without any physical media involved should have been cheaper. What’s more, I have a feeling that users could choose all the hassle involved in downloading software and burning a CD or a DVD not to have to download it again to reinstall in the future if they were offered one significant benefit - lower price. Unfortunately I don’t think that the benefits of having the software right away without waiting for the package to arrive and being eco-friendly as well do not seem to be enough to opt for a downloadable version when we are accustomed to having something physical proof of the purchase, especially when it comes to rather expensive products like Microsoft Office.