Today I purchased Microsoft Office Home and Business 2010. Inside the superfluous packaging overkill I found a very interesting message from Microsoft …

“Microsoft Corporation is committed to environmental sustainability and continuously works to explore and implement new ways to preserve and improve the encironment. For more information, please see microsoft.com/environment.“

Hmm, let’s see now. The packaging comprised:

• 1 x bi-fold card containing a 25-character product key
• 1 x sealed plastic case
• 1 x cardboard outer sleeve

I ask you, is all that really necessary? Is it not possible to fit Microsoft’s instantly-recognisable branding on something a tad smaller, say the size of a matchbox? For pete’s sake, all I needed was the 25-character key. That could be texted to me, without all the kerfuffle involved in the packaging. Not only is there considerable expense involved in manufacturing the packaging but how about also shipping it across the world?

Seriously, wouldn’t you think that in this Internet Age, more things could – would – be handled online? Does Microsoft expect us to believe that we more highly covet items we can hold, caress and salivate over? I would rather pay a huge chunk less for the product, to be honest. And while I’m at it, I have to raise the issue of Microsoft’s greedy, inflated pricing. Why do they not feel threatened by the plethora of open source software out there? Sure, I succumbed and bought “the real deal” but in my occupation, I need to use the software that most of the people in the civilised world use. I can’t afford incompatibility issues, regardless of how many times I’m told by nerdier-than-I folks that “Open Office IS 100% compatible with Microsoft Office”.

Why can’t I get US pricing? If it’s just because I have to import the ridiculously over-packaged product key, and pay for all those carbon emission miles to do so, then I’d like to throw a massive “bah humbug” in Microsoft’s direction. Not that they’d care.

Your thoughts?

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