Pinnacle Bundle Offered

Three of Microsoft’s consumer titles were updated in fall 2005: Digital Image Suite comes in a new bundle with video-editing software from Pinnacle, while Streets and Trips, as well as the Works Suite, received incremental updates. All three products are sold primarily online and through retail stores, although OEMs sometimes bundle these products—particularly Works Suite—with consumer-oriented PCs.

Digital Image Suite Plus, released in Nov. 2005, combines Digital Image Suite 2006, Microsoft’s high-end tool for organizing digital photos and videos, with Pinnacle Studio 10, a consumer video-editing application. Adding Pinnacle’s software will help Microsoft appeal to consumers who have outgrown the video-editing capabilities of the free Movie Maker application that ships with Windows.

Digital Image Suite Plus has an estimated retail price of US$130 before rebate, a savings of US$20 compared with Digital Image Suite 2006 (US$100) and Pinnacle Studio 10 (US$50) if purchased separately.