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[[Image:Microsoft_logo.jpg|right|thumb|200px|]]
==Why Microsoft?- The popularity of Microsoft==

==Commoness of Microsoft==
 
The commonness of Microsoft comes partly from its early start in 1975 with the mission statement of "a computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software"- which has now almost come true since at the international data corporation conference in 2004 it was discovered that 90% of pc users use Microsoft operating system. Their software is some of the most recognized worldwide, with the best selling items being Microsoft Windows operating system and Microsoft Office.  Microsoft Office has made huge gains in places such as education institutions and workplaces. This has lead to people being taught to work on these systems, increasing their popularity and amount of usage. There is practically no computer that does not use some aspect of the office productivity software including Apple computers. Another aspect of their monstrous software area is gaming. The gaming market is huge, reaching all age groups, and Microsoft has definitely not let this type of software slip between the cracks, in fact they have been in the for front for  years.  Microsoft tends to appeal to the “average” person for many reasons, while Apple on the other hand has been known to direct its attention to professionals such as photographers and journalist, another leading reason to why Microsoft is so common everywhere.

==Costs==
When looking for a cheap computer that is under six hundred dollars, you are most likely to get a PC because Mac's don't produce computers at such a substantially low price. Macs have essentially always been more expensive than an equally powered PC. PC's will not only be cheaper to buy in the short run but will also be cheaper to maintain in the long run. This is because PC's are fairly easy to upgrade. Instead of buying a pre-assembled PC from an electronic store one can easily start to build a PC from scratch and customize each component for him or herself. When it comes to upgrading your PC one can easily make his or her PC significantly faster for around four hundred to seven hundred dollars. Some upgrades could involve purchasing a faster possessor, more memory, the latest graphics card, and a new mother board. When buying a Mac, there is no real way to drastically upgrade it. Although you can upgrade it's memory and drivers. If you feel like you need a faster Mac you will probably need to buy a brand new computer.

==Microsoft as a monopoly?==
[[Image:microsoft-monopoly.jpg|right|thumb|175px|]]
The case of Microsoft vs. The United States was a set of consolidated civil actions filed against Microsoft Corporation on May 18, 1998. The plantiffs alledged that Microsoft abused monopoly power in its handling of operating systems and web browser sales. The central issue to the case was whether Microsoft was allowed to bundle their operating system with their flagship Internet Explorer. Bundling them together was the alledged reason to Microsoft's victory in the "browser wars", which restriced other competing web browsers from the market at hand. Further questions were if Microsoft altered or manipulated its application programming interfaces (APIs) to favor Internet Explorer over third party web browsers. Microsoft said that combining the two was a result of innovation and competition. The proposed settlement of the case was that Microsoft would share its application programming interfaces with third-party companies, Microsoft said it would make some concessions to the final verdict, since the verdict wasnt mandatory.

==Business Software==
[[Image:microsoft_office_logo_1.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"Microsoft office logo"]]
Part of the business software department at Microsoft, Microsoft Office, was launched in 1989 as Microsoft’s flagship office software, which included the typical components; it has only grown and expanded since. 

The initial launch at the time included:
                                              
•	Microsoft Word- word processor

•	Microsoft Excel- spreadsheet

•	Microsoft PowerPoint- presentations

And now the newer versions contain:

•	Microsoft Access- database

•	Microsoft Outlook- email

•	Microsoft Publisher- publishing

•	Microsoft OneNote-  notes/reminders
 
The Business department has included many other applications that assist in many aspects of business such as project management and accounting. Microsoft Office can come in many versions from home office to professional, all seeking a certain niche market. Microsoft Office has more or less become the leader of office suites with a dominant market share in word processing and spreadsheets especially; it is used everywhere including government, education, business, and home offices. The commonness is also attributed to Microsoft’s early start in creating an office suite in which many people would begin to use and continue to use.  It is no wonder that Microsoft office is so common, it is obviously used everywhere, in so many aspects of everyday life.

==Gaming Software==
[[Image:Xbox360full_500x526.jpg|right|frame|"Xbox 360"]]
When it comes down to the industry which includes gaming or 3-D rendering Microsoft windows has more software available then a Mac.Far more PC's have been sold then Mac's and because of this more games use Microsoft Windows.One major strength when purchasing a PC is that the Microsoft Operating system has a variety of software. Microsoft Game Studios is known for producing a vast variety of games.Not only does Microsoft produce games for windows based computer but also for the popular gaming console Xbox 360.In 1990 Microsoft came out with their first set of games known as the Microsoft Entertainment pack. This pack includes little mini games such as chess, freecell, stones, tetris, ect. Some more recent games produced in 2007 and 2008 are Age of Empires III, Gears of War, and Zoo Tycoon 2. Now a days its possible to download the Microsoft browser on Mac computers. Generally if people are really into games and use windows to run them,it makes sense to purchase a PC.

==References==


http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/microsoft/archives/003469.html - early mission statement

http://www.microsoft.com/about/default.mspx#values

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft#User_culture

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Microsoft

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Office

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_windows

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Games

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/10/1065676145670.html

http://graphicdesign.about.com/od/computersandhardware/a/mac_vs_pc.html

http://www.macworld.com/article/59565/2007/08/costanalysis.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_windows

http://www.theosfiles.com/os_windows/ospg_w95.htm

http://news.cnet.com/i/ne/p/2005/Xbox360full_500x526.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft#Settlement

==Group members==

Chris Nagel

Sebastian Lacher