NEW YORK: Microsoft has just proved that a product flaw can also mean good business potential that you can tap into when the time is right. After frustrating millions of users around the world with many security flaws in its Windows, the company yesterday released a complete PC care suite called Windows Live OneCare and priced it at $49.95 per year.
The service offers complete “top-to-bottom maintenance, support and performance optimization” CEO and chief software architect Bill Gates said yesterday. Beta versions of the package have been tested with close to 200,000 users.
The final version comes with a 90-day free trial offer. The service is most certain to find welcome buyers because it offers anti-virus protection, anti-spyware, firewall, file backups, PC tune-ups and free support.
There may be less than one out of 3 Windows XP users in the world who have not had the distressing experience of untimely system crashes, loss of data, invasion of viruses, malware and Trojans. Users have for long wanted a single source/package to solve all their PC maintenance problems while the company released security patches periodically to fix a few flaws each time.
OneCare's virus and Trojan protection capabilities have been tested and certified by independent testing labs such as ICSA Labs and West Coast Labs.
Users who have tried the test versions said the suite lacks something crucial - the Microsoft Windows Antispyware which is now named Windows Defender and supplied as a separate download. The OneCare settings do not include Defender but once downloaded it can easily be integrated with the PC care package.
Additionally, the company has offered to provide 24x7 customer service backup for users who have trouble setting up OneCare. Technical support is available through email, phone or chat at no extra cost.
The product is available at retails stores that will display the name of the product. Users can also download it from http://onecare.live.com
OneCare is likely to face tough competition from McAfee's 'Falcon' and Symantec's 'Genesis'. 'Falcon' is also a subscription-based service and beta versions will be released very soon, the security software maker said. Symantec's 'Genesis' is expected to have better features but its release schedule has not been decided yet. Experts believe both products may be better than OneCare in many respects but they will not be able to match OneCare's low price tag of $49.95 a year for up to three computers, plus it also has a head start over its rivals.
