Sun Microsystems passes on strong Aussie dollar savings

For the third time this year, Sun Microsystems has announced major pricing changes, this time cutting the cost of hardware and software by 10 per cent in Australia and New Zealand.

The cuts were made to pass on benefits from the stronger Australian and New Zealand dollars in relation to the US, Sun said in a statement. The Australian dollar had been steady over $US0.90 recently, although it dipped slightly below to $US0.896 at time of publication.

In February, the vendor increased its prices by 15 per cent in response to a weak Australian dollar, but dropped prices back down by an average of 11 per cent later in July.

Suns troubles of late have been well-documented, with the vendor suffering extensive global staff cuts and an acquisition by Oracle. In October, it cut 3000 jobs as Oracle waited for approval for the acquisition. At the time, Oracle chief, Larry Ellison, claimed it was losing $US100 million per month.