Price Guarantee Gives Consumers Another Reason to Choose MSN 8

Oct. 24 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) today locked the price of MSN 8 Dial-Up Internet Service at $21.95 per month for at least the next 12 months. This offer assures consumers that they can subscribe to MSN 8 -- the Internet service preferred by three out of four consumers over AOL 8 in a recent study -- through at least fall 2003 for nearly $2 less each month than the AOL 8 dial-up service's standard price of $23.90.

MSN also announced its policy with regard to pop-up advertisements within the MSN 8 user experience. With MSN 8 software, consumers will not receive third-party or MSN pop up ads other than those designed for obtaining valuable customer feedback on the product.

"This is really about continuing to give consumers a better product, at a better price," said Richard Bray, vice president for MSN. "With MSN 8, people will get what they care about most, including communications, parental controls, better browsing and less unwanted junk e-mail."

Over the next year, the savings on MSN 8 will add up to nearly $24 -- or more if AOL increases its price. This also means that MSN 8 subscribers will pay roughly the same amount for one year of Internet service as AOL 8 subscribers pay for 11 months of service.

Today's announcement of the price guarantee coincides with the launch of MSN 8 at New York's Central Park. The launch event kicks off an eight-city tour that gives consumers a chance to sample MSN 8 and see for themselves why three out of four people who recently tested both Internet services chose MSN 8 over AOL 8. Conducted earlier this month by respected research firm Usability Sciences Corp., the study also found that consumers preferred the junk-mail filtering, parental controls, personalization and other features of MSN 8 over those of AOL 8.

For more information visit MSN on the Web at http://www.msn.com/ .

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