Pay as you go computing?

U.S. patent application number 20080319910. Behind those
digits lies a potential future of owning a Personal Computer. A patent applied
for by the Microsoft Corporation, published on Christmas Day, reveals the
details for a pay as you go-approach to owning a computer with the the initial
unit coming at little to no cost to the consumer. But in the world of
uber-affordable Netbooks and the growing popularity of ‘everything but the
kitchen sink’ smartphones, is the idea of quasi-coin-operated computer going to
fly?

In its most rudimentary form, the patent outlines a
subsidized or free computer that then charges a fee based on usage. The
criteria for the cost is a combination of time spent and level of performance
demanded.

“A computer with scalable performance level components and
selectable software and service options has a user interface that allows individual
performance levels to be selected,” reads the patent abstract. The application
goes on to state that “The scalable performance level components may include a
processor, memory, graphics controller, etc. Software and services may include
word processing, email, browsing, database access, etc. To support a pay-per-use
business model, each selectable item may have a cost associated with it,
allowing a user to pay for the services actually selected and that presumably
correspond to the task or tasks being performed.” The application was filed
back in June of 2007.

So why on Earth would someone want to risk actually spending
even more on a computer? Well, the service has the potential to bolster where
other units can only struggle; performance. If, initially, you can only afford
a $500 computer, the peformance and potential for such a rig may be greatly
inhibited, espescially if you don’t know your way around a motherboard.
However, by offering baseline, upgradable PCs to a user at next to no cost, may
in fact yield a model better suited to the rapidly evolving world of modern
technology.

The end result is dubbed, in the application, to be “a
more granular approach to hardware and software sales” with the end result being
that the consumer is ” able to select a level of performance related to
processor, memory, graphics power, etc that is driven not by a lifetime maximum
requirement but rather by the need of the moment.”

The application states that “When the need is browsing,
a low level of performance may be used and, when network-based interactive
gaming is the need of the moment, the highest available performance may be made
available to the user.”

office, gaming, and browsing.

The patent application then goes on to depict three distinct
‘bundles’ based on usage; office, gaming, and browsing:

“The office bundle may include word-processing and
spreadsheet applications, medium graphics performance and two of three
processor cores,” the document reads. “The gaming bundle may include
no productivity applications but may include 3D graphics support and three of
three processor cores. The browsing bundle may include no productivity
applications, medium graphics performance and high-speed network interface.”

“Charging for the various bundles may be by bundle and
by duration. For example, the office bundle may be $1.00 [68 pence] per hour,
the gaming bundle may be $1.25 per hour and the browsing bundle may be $0.80
per hour. The usage charges may be abstracted to ‘units/hour’ to make currency
conversions simpler. Alternatively, a bundle may incur a one-time charge that
is operable until changed or for a fixed-usage period.”

Ultimately, this new model would strive to establish a more
consistent stream of revenue, in juxtaposition to the one-off, every five
years. In return, users would see consistent levels of performance, as opposed
to starting at a plateau that quickly falls off the precipitous cliff of
outdated hardware/software.

An interesting approach, and one that comes in stark
contrasts to the likes of Apple, which essentially penalizes early adopters
with its nearly annual overhaul of technology. But it’s also going to be one
hell of a hard sell.

Source

Steve | My Bio & Articles

Steve is a self-confessed gadget addict with a soft spot for all green gizmos. He has a BA in English Literature and is currently completing his MA in Communication and Rhetoric.