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| Windows ecosystem reboot: bad news if you move country |
| By Thom Holwerda on 2012-10-04 14:11:18 |
| "Microsoft doesn't understand that people travel around the world, and are hugely sentimental about things they've paid for. Here's a list of some services that are affected by Windows Live ID billing region locks and what you will lose if you move countries." It ain't pretty. |
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| Not Only MS |
| By franksands on 2012-10-04 14:49:35 |
| All big companies need to realize this. More than that, they need to understand that there is this thing called "the internets". Restricting your service to US only or UK only or whatever other "only" you want is restricting the amount of money you'll receive. Why settle selling to one country, when you can sell to the whole world? |
 - Score: 2 |
| Comment by Darkmage |
| By Darkmage on 2012-10-04 14:58:18 |
| Every year they pull this bullshit, and every year I move more stuff to linux and make more tools so I don't need to worry about this affecting me. You get what you pay for. If you're going to pay money for a shit product, that's your problem. |
| - Score: 7 |
| I think you can actually change it |
| By sukru on 2012-10-04 15:02:37 |
|
I changed my region when I moved from Europe to US. And my Xbox is working fine. I do not know whether they disabled it now, but the option still seems to be there at: https://account.live.com/editprof... |
| - Score: 3 |
| Not better with the Apple AppStore |
| By zimbatm on 2012-10-04 15:07:01 |
|
It's actually possible to change country in the AppStore. You need a credit-card from the country. But then you don't have access to your previous purchases. You keep getting updates as long as they are installed but it's not possible to re-install them unless you re-switch country. Edited 2012-10-04 15:08 UTC |
| - Score: 2 |
| Live Mesh also dropped |
| By edvim on 2012-10-04 15:52:49 |
| For anyone who relied on Windows Live Mesh, which allowed automatic remote linking between PCs with or without cloud storage, along with remote desktop control, note that with the Windows Live Essentials 2012 update you lose Live Mesh functionality. It's more or less merged with your Skydrive account but without those extra features. If you leave your system running Windows Essentials 2011, Live Mesh will continue working as is (although MS will most likely kill its functionality at some point). |
| - Score: 3 |
| RE: Not Only MS |
| By anda_skoa on 2012-10-04 16:17:04 |
|
> All big companies need to realize this. More than that, they need to understand that there is this thing called "the internets" The problem is not that they do not understand, the problem is they do and are scared to their bones. Regional restrictions are all about market control, or more precisely making sure producers control the market, not consumers by artificially restricting what people can buy from which vendor or through which distribution chain. For example increasing short term content licence profits by stricking exclusive distribution licence deals for certain regions. The exclusive licence cost more but the now exclusive distributor can pass that on to the consumers because they don't have a choice to buy elsewhere. The exclusivness is thenenforced by technical means such as DRM, region codes, Geo IP, or administrative hurdles such as needing a credit card or bank account for that region, or, in the worst case, through legislative means (e.g. making it illegal to circumvent ineffective technical or administrative hurdles) |
| - Score: 7 |
| Illegal |
| By geleto on 2012-10-04 16:21:21 |
| The case from the article (not being able to use your accounts when moving between EU countries) is illegal because of the single market and free movement EU regulations. |
| - Score: 7 |
| EU Rules |
| By MrWeeble on 2012-10-04 16:22:03 |
| Pretty sure that behaviour (item purchased in the Netherlands not usable after moving to the UK) would be against EU rules regarding the internal market (or at least on shaky ground). |
| - Score: 3 |
| RE: Not better with the Apple AppStore |
| By kristoph on 2012-10-04 17:37:44 |
|
That's BS. I had no problem switching my address to another country and to a credit card in that country. You never lose your purchases unless you change your account. |
| - Score: 2 |
| Comment by shmerl |
| By shmerl on 2012-10-04 18:13:26 |
| Another reason to avoid locked in "ecosystems". |
| - Score: 4 |
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