Microsoft's plan to impose a new pricing program has been prompting a chorus of complaints from corporate and government customers for several months. But early results, analysts say, indicate that the move was shrewd financially — at least in the short run. The new plan, according to Microsoft, is intended to simplify a pricing system for corporate and government customers that had grown complicated and confusing over the years. It moves customers to a subscription model of paying yearly fees for updated software, instead of deciding each time whether to buy a new version of Windows, Office or other Microsoft programs.
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