While we, on this side of the pond, have long been used to getting the grubby end of the stick when it comes to IT product pricing, this one really takes the biscuit. Just as nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition, so nobody in the IT game over here expects to find their purchases costing the equivalent of the dollar price, based upon a straight exchange rate conversion. The business world does not work like that, and there will always be different overheads to take into account when selling into different international markets.
However, explain to me if you will, or indeed if you can, why it appears that UK users will have to pay a staggering 72 percent more than US users for Office 2007 Professional Edition? The suggested retail pricing of which, PC Pro has discovered from confidential Microsoft figures, is a phenomenal £449.99. Of course, these figures were never meant for public consumption prior to launch, and with the Ultimate version priced at £600 (62 percent more expensive), Small Business at £399.99 (69 percent hike) and Standard at £349.99 (67 percent more) you can understand why.