Steve Ballmer says software prices could fall

What's this? Microsoft saying that the high cost of suites like Office and other software packages could actually be lowered? Believe it or not, Steve Ballmer at Microsoft is saying just that. Citing “less piracy” and “more proper use” (however you want to take that), among others, Ballmer is stating that many companies, including Microsoft, can take a look at ways to reduce the price of software. Ultimately, he is probably referring to Microsoft's dream of a world run on subscriptions, which would dramatically reduce the initial cost of software, replacing it instead with a monthly or yearly fee. On another note, Microsoft is facing increase competition in many areas, from both open-source and for-profit companies, and often a side effect of increased competition is lower prices on goods. Then again, I would like to know more on what Ballmer believes is “more proper use”, and whether or not piracy is truly going down.