Microsoft's Gifts Ignite Controversy Among Bloggers

Software giant Microsoft’s recent distribution of expensive laptops loaded with its new ‘Windows Vista’ operating system has ignited controversy as well as good will among bloggers, as some bloggers accused the Redmond giant of bribery, while others accepted it as an expensive gift.

Last week, Microsoft together with AMD gave out Acer Ferrari laptops as gifts to a bunch of bloggers who are covering technology related subjects or other topics such as photography or online video that could be affected by Microsoft’s new OS, in their blogs.

Valued at more than $2,200 each, the laptops are pre-loaded with Windows Vista and are powered by an AMD Turion 64-bit processor. The company had sent out about 90 such computers to bloggers, a spokeswoman for Microsoft confirmed Friday.

Microsoft included two models, the Ferrari 1000 and Acer Ferrari 5000 in its giveaway plan. Some bloggers got Ferrari 1000s, while others got 5000s.

Long Zheng, an Australian blogger, was the first who reported about the valuable gifts in his blog. Soon after the reports emerged a controversy has sparked among the blogging community. While some bloggers greeted the machines with enthusiasm, the others said that the software giant is trying to bribe the bloggers with laptops, contending that bloggers are bound by the same rules as traditional journalists, who should not accept expensive gifts from companies they cover.

Long Zheng had over 180 comments on his post about Microsoft’s giveaways ranging from envy to disgust.

Microsoft, on the other hand, has said Friday that the company’s giveaway plan was a part of its effort to solicit feedback from the valuable writers in the blogosphere, not to encourage favorable coverage.

"Microsoft sent out machines loaded with Windows Vista to bloggers to encourage them to experience the product and to solicit their valuable feedback, offering full disclosure that no editorial commentary was expected as a condition of acceptance," the company said in a statement.

Microsoft said it chose recipients based on their level of influence within the blogosphere. Bloggers who received the laptops had written on technology related to specific areas that were a focus of Vista, such as online video or photography, the software company said.

Microsoft said that after reviewing the Vista recipients could keep the computers, give them away, or send them back.

"Microsoft’s official position is that once these bloggers are done experiencing the product, they can choose what they want to do with them," the Microsoft spokeswoman said.

Vista, a major upgrade of Microsoft's operating system which the company introduced in November-2006 for business, is scheduled to be launched for consumers at the end of this month.