Pay-as-you-go computing


People around the world have enthusiastically embraced the pay-as-you-go model for mobile phones. In fact, 72% of people in emerging markets pay for mobile phone service with prepaid cards on a pay-as-you-go basis because it is straightforward and intuitively fair. The flexibility of the pay-as-you-go model is also well suited to the economic realities of emerging markets where many people work in informal jobs with unpredictable paychecks. The popularity of the pay-as-you-go model is not limited to mobile phones - it is now used in everyday services like internet access, gaming, electricity, and water consumption around the world.
Microsoft has developed a new financing model with the goal of overcoming barriers to owning a PC with genuine Microsoft software - reducing the entry price and enabling pay-as-you-go installment methods to pay off the balance.