Tiny.com offers Office trial
'Snub' to resellers as IT retailer secures exclusive deal
Microsoft is 'snubbing' its resellers by allowing IT retailer Tiny.com to bundle a trial version of Office 2003 with new PCs in an exclusive deal.
Under the deal, new PCs will be bundled with a 60-day trial version of Office 2003, with the option to buy a full licence at the Tiny.com site.
The company said it is the first in the UK to offer the Microsoft Office 2003 trial.
Alistair Edwards, senior analyst at Canalys, said: "The protected licences may promote upgrade but they require action and whether people will bother is the big question."
Darren Scully, commercial director of reseller Nexus Open Systems, said that Microsoft was ignoring a key market.
"It's a bit of a snub to Microsoft's key business base of SMEs, which buy through resellers," he said. "However, you may find it's just a toe in the water. It may be extended across the market."
Microsoft said: "This pilot is currently available only to OEMs and not resellers, as Microsoft is seeking to test customer reaction to the trial product."