[There's a reason that Yoda is the unofficial mascot of SBS. Size indeed matters not.] Action pack contents for January - THE OFFICIAL BLOG OF THE SBS "DIVA"
Thu, Feb 1 2007 20:43 bradley

Action pack contents for January

Reply-To:
maps-na@microsoft.com

To:

Subject:
Microsoft Action Pack January Quarterly Update - Shipping Confirmation

Dear Microsoft Action Pack Subscriber:

We are pleased to confirm that your Microsoft Action Pack January Quarterly Update has been shipped via US Postal Mail. If you have not received your kit by February 8, 2007 please send an e-mail message to MAPS-NA@microsoft.com.

The Action Pack Update kits are sent quarterly. To see a complete listing of the contents of the Update kit (in the US and Canada), please visit: https://partner.microsoft.com/global/program/programoverview/40013779

Thank you for continuing your subscription to the Microsoft Action Pack!

 -The Worldwide Partner Programs Team

In my box was a "Welcome Letter"
A orange sheet saying that the Office Ready Master Kit was not ready.. and will be in the next Action pack, if you want it early you can contact your local distributor and receive an OPK today.
A white note saying that the product key for Sharepoint Server 2007 was wrong
A "Don't lose this number" with product key codes for Office Sharepoint Designer, Expression Web, Outlook with BCM, Office Project, Office Visio, Office Sharepoint....all 2007
Microsoft Windows Vista Upgrade Business - 10 user version
Microsoft Office Enterprise 2007 - 10 user version
DVD of all the apps listed on the "Don't lose" key codes
Microsoft Office Accounting Professional 2007

... and in the very back of the Action pack.. a Intiative Addendum that indeed limits the licenses to the annual subscription year.. read it...
inside the plastic box is an advertisement for "Windows Anytime Upgrade" which gives you the $139 upgrade price to Ultimate at the website of www.windowsanytimeupgrade.com/maps  -- the $139 is PER Vista Business for one upgrade.. not for all ten. (my understanding anyway)


 

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# re: Action pack contents for January

Friday, February 02, 2007 2:18 PM by Tony

Is anyone else who is a member of MAPS disappointed by this latest Quarterly MAPS Shipment (Jan 2007)? I am referring specifically to the Vista Business Product that they sent us.

We have been MAPS subscribers since it began and I can not remember another time or product where we were treated like end users instead of partners.

And to add insult to injury, they included a "coupon" to allow us to upgrade one license to Ultimate for $139.00. Is this becomming K-Mart or Walmart for partners?

I thought the idea of MAPS was that by making an annual subscription payment we would receive all of the Microsoft Software we need to thoroughly test and evaluate it so we could be better prepared and more knowledgable about the products. I have always felt that if Microsoft wanted us to sell it for them, they would provide us with the product. Using that reasoning I guess they don't want to sell Ultimate. Or at least they don't want us to sell Ultimate.

I am not going to pay $139 to upgrade one license to Ultimate. If the people running MAPS do not revise their mistake (my personal opinion) and give us licenses for Ultimate, then I guess we won't get it, use it or recommend it to clients.

# re: Action pack contents for January

Friday, February 02, 2007 5:09 PM by JohnL

I realize that, eventually, all things change. But I have to express my disappointment in the way the Action Pack subscription program has changed so substantially since I started participating in 2001 or thereabouts.

I no longer feel like a partner -- and that was the hook years ago: become a partner. I dutifully installed the server and client software in order to learn it so that I could do a better than adequate job at selling solutions. And that worked out wonderfully.

Now I'm starting to feel like a member of the "software-as-subscription" beta program (at $299/year instead of the former $199/year renewal price) just prior to Microsoft rolling it out to the great unwashed masses.

I may be (hope I am) wrong about that, but that's sure how I feel, especially after reading through the new quarterly update. Bad feeling. Sigh.

John