Acer to bundle Symantec software
Acer will ship Symantec consumer security software on new PCs sold worldwide, the software maker said Tuesday. The Taiwanese PC maker will preinstall Norton Internet Security 2006 or Norton AntiVirus 2006 on more than 45 million desktop and notebook computers. Acer buyers will get the typical 90-day complimentary trial and have the option to purchase a full 12-month subscription when the trial period is over, Symantec said.

The deal with Acer is one of many bundling agreements Symantec has signed to get its software in front of consumers. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company also ships its products with Linksys networking gear from Cisco Systems, and its software is part of the Google Pack of free tools, for example. In such agreements, the security software maker typically pays a flat fee and may also share revenue generated by the partnership. Financial details of the Acer deal were not disclosed.

Acer: Vista is an excuse for Microsoft price increases
 Microsoft is raising the price of its software as it prepares to launch Vista, according to one of the leading PC manufacturers, Acer.

According to Jim Wong, senior corporate vice president of the Taiwan-based company, the issue is simply that the basic home edition of Vista, Home Basic, which is available for preorder on Amazon.co.uk for 154.99 pounds ($293), is so basic that users will be forced to move to Vista Home Premium, at 189.99 pounds ($359). A Home Edition of Windows XP is currently available for 165.99 pounds, but has a recommended retail price of 176.99 pounds.

"The new (Vista) experience you hear of, if you get Basic, you won't feel it at all," Wong told PC Pro magazine. "There's no (Aero) graphics, no Media Center, no remote control."Wong also said that the manufacturer's license for Vista Home Premium is 10 percent more expensive than for XP Home. "We have to pay more but users are not going to pay more," Wong said. This would mean an increase in the cost to PC manufacturers of 1 percent to 2 percent, according to Wong, in a business where the profit margin is around 5 percent or less. At the top of the Vista lineup is the Ultimate Edition, which can be preordered for 325 pounds ($614) and, again, is significantly more expensive than the XP operating system it replaces. Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2 has a recommended retail price of 289.99 pounds ($550), but is currently available for 234 pounds ($444).