Microsoft Student Education Suite for $3 for students in developing countries

Microsoft announced that it will be offering a special edition of Microsoft solutions to students in developing countries at a deeply discounted rate of US$3, as part of its Unlimited potential initiative along with its Partners in Learning program. While some might see the large heart that Microsoft has as a company, others are already skeptical on the issue, saying that the company will be gaining from it.

Through the program, Microsoft will offer the $3 software suite to qualifying governments that purchase and supply PCs directly to students. The Microsoft Student Education Suite includes a specialized version of Windows XP, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Microsoft Math 3.0, Learning Essentials 2.0 for Microsoft Office, and Windows Live Mail desktop.

"It's actually a surprisingly strong plan," Rob Enderle, principal analyst for the Enderle Group, told TechNewsWorld. "When you have products that price in the $300 range, dropping them effectively 99 percent is not an easy decision to make, but for education, it is the right one."

The program, Enderle says, is mostly an attempt to ensure that Microsoft isn't displaced in emerging markets or by a new generation of children growing up without using Microsoft solutions.