O'Reilly Network Weblogs: Microsoft MapPoint Looking for Pricing Advice

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http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/wlg/4510

Microsoft MapPoint Looking for Pricing Advice

by Tim O'Reilly
Mar. 3, 2004

After giving up on seeing location-related web services from AOL/MapQuest (I started nagging them years ago), I've switched my evangelism to Microsoft, who at least understands that location-based services are one of the great next generation platform opportunities. As part of that advocacy, I've been nagging the folks over at Microsoft MapPoint about the need to have a "hacker-friendly" entry point for their location-related web services. My premise is that a lot of innovation comes not from entrepreneurs and companies ready to put the stuff to use, but from hackers who are just having fun. Microsoft's current pricing model, which more or less amounts to "a salesperson will call you", isn't very innovation-friendly, even though Microsoft does offer limited time evaluation accounts.

So I was heartened to see that Microsoft is now soliciting input on options for a lower entry-point pricing model. Unfortunately, the options they're putting out as examples don't float my boat, but it indicates they are thinking about the problem. (Microsoft has pointed out to me privately that as a data aggregator, they have real costs from third parties for every transaction. Still, I think Microsoft has enough money to float a little hacker R&D. But I imagine the problem is that it has to come out of someone's budget, and that means awareness of the demand and the importance of some level of free access needs to be higher on their radar.)

Tim O'Reilly is the founder and CEO of O'Reilly Media, Inc., thought by many to be the best computer book publisher in the world. In addition to Foo Camps ("Friends of O'Reilly" Camps, which gave rise to the "un-conference" movement), O'Reilly Media also hosts conferences on technology topics, including the Web 2.0 Summit, the Web 2.0 Expo, the O'Reilly Open Source Convention, the Gov 2.0 Summit, and the Gov 2.0 Expo. Tim's blog, the O'Reilly Radar, "watches the alpha geeks" to determine emerging technology trends, and serves as a platform for advocacy about issues of importance to the technical community. Tim's long-term vision for his company is to change the world by spreading the knowledge of innovators. In addition to O'Reilly Media, Tim is a founder of Safari Books Online, a pioneering subscription service for accessing books online, and O'Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, an early-stage venture firm.