Microsoft "giveaway"

Microsoft announced this week that in an effort to raise their user base from 1,000,000,000 to 2,000,000,000 by 2015 they will be providing at almost no cost (an average of $3.00 per bundle) their most valuable software to the world's most needy users.  The bundle will include Windows XP, Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, Microsoft Math 3.0, Learning Essentials 2.0, and Windows Live Mail desktop (Ars technica).  A kind hearted gesture?  In their own version of good cop bad cop, Bill Gates said "All human beings deserve a chance to achieve their full potential," while  Microsoft senior vp Orlando Ayala said, "This is a business, not a philanthropic effort" (bink)  thanks Orlando, we were confused.

The Wolrd's Most Powerful Brand

Google has been named the most powerful world brand of 2007 in a survey conducted by Millward Brown (BBC).  The survey also attempts to associate brand with value, assigning a value the brand is expected to earn in the future.  Google replaces Microsoft, who was last year's winner.  Here are the top ten world brands:  

Brand	Value (in billions $)
Google	66.4
General Electric	61.9
Microsoft	55
Coca-Cola	44.1
China Mobile	41.2
Marlboro	39.2
Wal-Mart	36.9
Citi	33.7
IBM	33.6
Toyota	33.4

Click here for the top 100 report from Millward Brown in PDF format.