From the press release Microsoft Announces Pricing and Licensing Details for Windows OneCare Live we learn
Microsoft Corp. today announced final licensing and pricing information for its
soon-to-be-released Windows OneCare™ Live, the all-in-one, automatic and
self-updating PC care service aimed at helping consumers more easily protect and
maintain their PCs to keep them running well. Now available free to new beta
testers in the United States, at http://ideas.live.com, Microsoft®
Windows OneCare Live will be available in June from retailers and via the Web
for an annual subscription of $49.95 MSRP for up to three personal computers. To
thank its valuable beta customers and offer an easy transition to the paid
service, Microsoft also announced today a promotional deal offering the first
year of Windows OneCare Live service for $19.95 to beta customers who become
subscribers between April 1 and April 30, 2006.
...
Designed to Fit Customer Needs
Microsoft research showed that most people’s computers are insufficiently
protected from threats such as viruses because users find the protection process
confusing and frustrating, and even if they once had protection services on
their computers, they are often out of date. Many others have rarely, if ever,
backed up the important data on their PCs or regularly run the performance
maintenance tasks needed to keep their computers running well — which is risky
in a digital age when consumers rely more and more on their PCs in their daily
lives. As a part of Microsoft’s overarching efforts to deliver software and
services that better protect customers, Windows OneCare Live provides a “just
take care of it for me” service that keeps consumers’ needs at the center of the
experience. When available as a paid subscription service in June, Windows
OneCare Live will include the following features:
| • |
Protection Plus includes anti-virus and firewall protection and
automatic updates, as well as anti-spyware functionality powered by
Windows® Defender, to help protect the PC and the
customer. |
| • |
Performance Plus delivers regular PC tuneups to help maintain computer
performance and reliability. |
| • |
Backup and Restore delivers easy-to-use backup and restore
functionality for the full PC. |
| • |
Help and Support provides effective help when needed through a variety
of modes — e-mail, phone and chat — with all service support coming from PC care
experts at Microsoft for no additional charge. |
Those who want to participate in the free beta test of Windows OneCare Live
until April 30 should visit http://ideas.live.com.
I've been surprised to find out that Windows OneCare Live seems to
be the one service that seems to resonate with end users the most when
I talk to them about Windows Live. I can't tell if that is a good thing
or a bad thing. :)