

Microsoft charges to use Internet Explorer - will_brown

For the first time in months I fired up my 360 to test the MS SmartGlass App.  For those that don't know SmartGlass syncs your device with your 360, the feature I was interested in trying was the "remote" which turns your device into the 360 controller (it works...but not as cool as it sounds).<p>To my surprise I found Internet Explorer was finally released on the 360 so I downloaded the app.  To my astonishment the App failed to launch because I do not have an Xbox Live Gold (paid) Account.  Microsoft is really sick, its one thing to charge for the Gold Account for online game play and for access to certain content (even when your main competitor offers similar service for free), but to disable the web browser unless you have a paid account is really disgusting corporate behavior.  In short, cost to use IE on 360 is $5 to $10 per month depending if you pay the year upfront or month to month - and it looks like it will be another couple months before I turn my 360 back on.<p>Can anyone think of another hardware manufacturer that creates a device that limits your access to the internet to only their browser, and then charges you a monthly fee before you can use the browser, even though your already paying third party service provider?
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maxharris
_even when your main competitor offers similar service for free_

 _is really disgusting corporate behavior_

Microsoft was lynched in an antitrust trial for giving IE away to compete with
Netscape.

I think your attitude is evidence of really disgusting consumer behavior.
Between you and every other whiner, Microsoft is damned if it does something,
and damned if it doesn't.

~~~
will_brown
>Microsoft was lynched in an antitrust trial for giving IE away to compete
with Netscape.

Living in a country that actually permits hanging as a legal punishment, and
with 2 States that currently practice hanging I would say your word choice is
a little more exaggerated than mine.

Apparently the only one to ever survive being "lynched", MS is still alive and
well, in fact if I am not mistaken MS is currently giving IE away for free,
the very behavior MS was lynched for. On top of MS currently giving IE away
for free, the software is also free to use not requiring a paid membership,
EXCEPT IN THIS ONE LITTLE EXCEPTION THAT I POSTED ABOUT. However, you seem to
suggest MS is justified in charging Xbox owners to use IE, and Xbox owners
ONLY, even though IE is free in all other circumstances and on all other
devices, all as the result of their anti-trust suit in the 90's before Xbox
was even in production.

>I think your attitude is evidence of really disgusting consumer behavior.

Instead of attacking me personally for my observation that as far as I can
tell is 100% accurate, why not at least show me another company that
manufactures hardware, requires you to access the internet through their
browser only, and charges a monthly subscription for the browser. Then at
least you can point out this type of corporate behavior is not "disgusting",
but just the corporate norm. Even MS does not replicate this behavior on the
only other hardware they manufacture (the Surface). Moreover, MS does not
charge Surface owners a monthly fee to use IE or otherwise access content nor
are you limited to IE as your browser on the Surface.

>even when your main competitor offers similar service for free

FYI I made this comment in support of a paid MS Live Account for online game
play and certain content, even though their main competitor, PS3, offers their
Xbox Live equivalent for free. So do not give me the MS "damned if it does,
damned if it doesn't" spiel , especially when I complimented Xbox Live as so
good they can charge when others give it away for free; however, for simple
and obvious reasons I will not extend that support from paid Xbox gaming to
paid IE.

------
ScottWhigham
Your focusing on Internet Explorer is just odd. It's borderline libelous since
the headline is not true. The truth is that, if you have an Xbox Live Gold
account, you can access the internet because one of its benefits [1] is
"Explore the web on your TV with Internet Explorer for Xbox." The benefit of
purchasing a Gold account is that you can access the internet with your Xbox;
Internet Explorer just happens to be the browser. For you to say "Microsoft
charges to use Internet Explorer" then is clearly a mis-characterization of
the service. I think it's fair to say that this is just you making a
scandalous, link-baity headline to get attention.

What if the benefits said "Explore the web on your TV with Xbox" (thus
removing Internet Explorer)? Does that change _anything_? No. To me, the point
is that Microsoft charges you to browse the web via the Xbox; not which
browser is used. That's silly and that sort of silliness is the type of thing
that keeps from buying products.

[1] <http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/join>

~~~
will_brown
>I think it's fair to say that this is just you making a scandalous, link-
baity headline to get attention.

The HN community is going to know that MS does not generally charge a
subscription fee for IE, so I was not trying to be scandalous or link-baity
but concisely describe my post about this unique instance IE is subscription
based.

> For you to say "Microsoft charges to use Internet Explorer" then is clearly
> a mis-characterization of the service.

In my OP I clearly describe IE is part of the Xbox Live Gold Account which
includes other benefits, I even named online game play and access to other
premium content as additional benefits, so do not accuse me of mis-
characterizing the service. Besides, my point was MS should not bundle IE into
the paid Xbox Live Gold Account, rather IE should be a free service on the
Xbox.

>It's borderline libelous since the headline is not true. The truth is that,
if you have an Xbox Live Gold account, you can access the internet because one
of its benefits [1] is "Explore the web on your TV with Internet Explorer for
Xbox."

Did you go out of you way to make this statement to bait me because my HN
profile says I am an attorney? First, my headline is true. Obviously, if IE
was always a subscription service I would not have posted about this issue. I
posted this because it is odd MS does not allow Xbox owners to "Explore the
web on your TV with Xbox" for free,

If you are going to take MS's side on this issue that is fine, but at least
justify why you agree IE should be part of the paid Account and not free
service on the Xbox. In the OP I even help people make the argument for MS by
suggesting posters name other hardware manufacturers who exercise similar
policies, in otherwords what other hardware manufacturers require consumers
pay them a monthly fee to "explore the web on your TV with (blank)"?

