Microsoft patent application hints at pay-as-you-go PCs

Heavily subsidized computers are hardly a new idea, as evidenced by the number of carriers now offering "free" netbooks, but a recently revealed patent application indicates that Microsoft might be thinking about taking the idea a few steps further. Apparently, the company is at least toying around with the idea of offering a computer with "scalable performance level components" and selectable software, which sounds somewhat similar to the "managed PC" that Microsoft developed with Korea's KT telecom a few years back. That would effectively let users only pay for the features that they used, with some added graphics performance or storage space simply a few bucks an hour away, as helpfully illustrated above. To prevent folks from "unlocking" the PC, each computer would also come equipped with a security module and metering agent that locks the PC to a particular supplier, and presumably offers up a whole host of other restrictions. Of course, this is a Microsoft patent application and, as we've seen, that hardly assures an actual product.

[Via Electronista]

[zonfor @ Dec 29th 2008 4:51PM]

Lame!

[Paul Chapel @ Dec 29th 2008 5:00PM]

Lame is right. I've already started to migrate from Windows and not a moment too soon.

[kyle @ Dec 29th 2008 5:27PM]

im confused. wouldnt that mean everyone has to get a computer with 2tb and everything to begin with? if so thats stupid. if not... nah thats still stupid

[Platinum_Skeet @ Dec 29th 2008 5:34PM]

Actually it could benefit the smarter consumer you get a computer with locked down parts for a base price of $200 then break the rest of the parts open on a $1200 PC for free...

[Brad @ Dec 29th 2008 6:00PM]

This actually sounds a lot more like a scalable cloud-computing platform. If my local machine is just a "terminal", it can be relatively underpowered and almost never need an upgrade. It just needs a solid internet connection and decent graphics card. If all the processing and storage are done in some massive server farm someplace halfway across the country, it makes sense that I'd want to "scale" my system to my needs. Think of it like Amazon's EC2, but for end users rather than web servers.

[D.S (Apple) = digtal shit @ Dec 29th 2008 6:35PM]

All you have to do is wipe a magnet on the HD and the HD will be corrupt and then you can re install the OS and all the hardware is unlocked.

[ntlam @ Dec 29th 2008 6:50PM]

Microsoft should introduce pay as u go software scheme. Big discount for those who do not use IE, Paint, Notepad.

[Tirta @ Dec 29th 2008 7:17PM]

Unfortunately, wiping a hard-disk wont work. I am pretty damn sure, they will lock from the BIOS, so everytime you reinstall the OS i.e. Microsoft Windows, the program will be auto inserted again since its in Bios. (Notebook anti-theft has already had this).

Well when you install another OS, this is still unknown, but I bet they will use a special custom Bios so by default other OS i.e. Linux, etc, wont work out of the box. (Unless some hacker manage to open it)

[Rocketboy @ Dec 29th 2008 7:20PM]

Not much difference between this and enterprise class equipment. You pay to use the 'extra' features, even though they are already in the box.

[kal326 @ Dec 29th 2008 10:14PM]

Maybe not, thing of all the people that never use a computer. Or they just use it to check email and browse a few webpages. They get a computer for a few bucks a month because they hardly use it. Think if you could just pay for the channels you actually watch on cable/sat. I have 5 channels I actually watch, but I'm paying for 195 others just to get those 5.

[your lame @ Dec 29th 2008 4:53PM]

you are sehr lame... this is quite intresting =]

[Lowest Ranked @ Dec 29th 2008 6:28PM]

Rather impressive comment history you've got there.

[fieldcar @ Dec 30th 2008 10:39AM]

Your post is so convoluted, it makes everyone think: "_W_h_a_t___t_h_e___h_e_l_l_"

Am I missing what is or ever was so entertaining about "idiot speak" / lolcats speak?

[Rick @ Dec 29th 2008 4:53PM]

What next, Pay Toilets?

[dandaman @ Dec 29th 2008 4:55PM]

my friend said those existed in england when he visited

[rob @ Dec 29th 2008 4:59PM]

Yeah you can actually get those here (In England)
I've only seen them a few times , and they cost 20p ,But being a kid you can just jump over the barrier to get in.

[Arkenklo @ Dec 29th 2008 5:01PM]

Here in Sweden (awesome country by the way) we have those. They cost like 40 cents.

[bandigolo @ Dec 29th 2008 5:04PM]

but don't the pay toilets self-clean? I'd pay a quarter for a sanitary johnny...

[superaktieboy @ Dec 29th 2008 5:08PM]

yep they do exist in UK, also in holland lol :P

[Arkenklo @ Dec 29th 2008 5:09PM]

@bandigolo

Err, no. Manual cleaning. Ofcource not provided by the users.

[Marmite Turkey @ Dec 29th 2008 5:14PM]

@ Arkenklo

Err, YES. A lot of the ones in the streets in London DO self-sanitise.

[bandigolo @ Dec 29th 2008 5:18PM]

oh snap. Looks like the Sweden v. England soccer match is going to extra saucy this year!

[Arkenklo @ Dec 29th 2008 5:21PM]

@Turky

Err No they dont. In Sweden. That's not needed since we dont exactly stand up shitting. Swedes know to use the bathroom without leaving a mess, a art apparently not yet mastered my their English counterparts (toilet-users).

I'm leaving the subject, this is a techblog.

[bolezhinkov @ Dec 29th 2008 5:29PM]

in ukraine and lots of russia and stuff it will be polite to tip the person working the door when you use the WC as well. but thats the price you pay for public bathrooms to exist and be cleaned.

[bfiusbf @ Dec 29th 2008 6:03PM]

hmm... i think YOUR MOMS NEXT =]

[Jimmythehand @ Dec 29th 2008 6:36PM]

Lolz. They already have those. :P

[Chris McDowell @ Dec 29th 2008 7:24PM]

They have pay toilets in San Francisco also. They clean themselves after. I think they might have them in San Jose also. Can't remember.

[Nick @ Dec 29th 2008 8:37PM]

I think that already exists.

[Bayard @ Dec 29th 2008 9:25PM]

so, put these computers in the pay toilets...

[mooos @ Jan 11th 2009 1:49PM]

lol go to Europe those already exist

[KarlW @ Dec 30th 2008 1:11AM]

They already exist in Holland, which is rubbish.

The Dutch police encourage you to smoke pot, then slap you with a €50 fine when you urinate on the street. They're just hypocrites.

[G @ Dec 30th 2008 5:03AM]

Yep, they exist here in slovenia too, but i usually only use them when i'm drunk so this includes sneaking out without paying :P

[dandaman @ Dec 29th 2008 4:54PM]

please no dear god please god dear no dear please no please god dear god dear no.

[Game_playa @ Dec 29th 2008 4:55PM]

Hell Yes.

[Lowest Ranked @ Dec 29th 2008 6:32PM]

please no dear god please god dear no dear please no please god dear god dear no.

Please Count: 4
No Count: 4
Dear Count: 5
God Count: 4
Relevance Count: 0

[Agent .25i @ Dec 29th 2008 10:15PM]

@Lowest ranked.
Your math is incorrect.

Please Count: 4
No Count: 4
Dear Count: 5
God Count: 4
Relevance Count: 0

Relevance count should be at 1. Seeing that he is against a pay as you go computer; his protest is obvoious. Unlike your post, a total waste, not only because you FAILED at being funny, and or witty, but because YOUR post is in fact the one with ZERO relevance.

/wrist moron

[dandaman @ Dec 29th 2008 10:22PM]

thank you. most people on the internet are total dicks.

[Thom bell @ Dec 29th 2008 4:54PM]

I don't like where this is going.

[Arkenklo @ Dec 29th 2008 5:25PM]

Look, it's not like you'll rent a laptop from a automat, this is meant for supercomputers.

[eggothewaffle @ Dec 29th 2008 4:56PM]

I love how they have a 6 GHz/64-core processor options, but storage space only goes to 2TB.

The future looks bright, gentlemen.

[Matthew C @ Dec 29th 2008 6:20PM]

super high-quality encoding ... ultrazip? super-divx?

[EricC @ Dec 29th 2008 7:53PM]

The future may be bright, but sadly, shades will also be pay-as-you-go.

[tbone @ Dec 29th 2008 4:56PM]

but hey, theres always open office

[JerJer @ Dec 29th 2008 4:59PM]

im trying really hard to figure out the fractions in the 2-8GB of memory range.

2 - 4 - 6 - 7 - 8?

2 - 3 - 4 - 6 - 8?

that last one seems the best since 32 bit OS's only support 3.2 GB RAM...

but still...! just make it 2 - 10 or something haha

[Tony @ Dec 29th 2008 5:27PM]

It's quite simple; the number doubles/halves each step.

512, 1, 2, 4, 8.

[JerJer @ Dec 29th 2008 8:11PM]

but...but....it starts at 2!

[jouten @ Dec 29th 2008 4:59PM]

Yeah...So we will have pay as you go toilet paper too. You want one-ply? Two-ply? Triple?

This is could very well happen. Someone might only need to 'word process' documents while another user would want to play the latest and greatest computer game. I can see how they would think about cashing in on an idea like that. The only customer-base I see Microsoft going after with this type of technology would be the gaming/internet cafes you see around malls and stuff. I don't see it as a thing we will have to worry about as personal consumers looking to buy our own PC's.

[bill cant fart @ Dec 29th 2008 5:21PM]

Real men use paper towels!

[gonintendo @ Dec 29th 2008 5:29PM]

Real men use newspapers!

[Arkenklo @ Dec 29th 2008 5:35PM]

Real men use the hand!