Why is Rosetta Stone (language program) SO EXPENSIVE?

I've been working on learning Spanish on the side with the help of Fluenz and Rosetta Stone and it has been very successful with me. Over the last year I've taken a handful of non-credit American Sign Language (ASL) classes in the past and I've become...

I'm currently taking Spanish in school and, I have a very minimal understanding in terms of the entire language. I know the grammer rules and writing styles which seems to be the only downfall of the Rosetta Stone program. I have tried the first version...

I am thinking about buying the Rosetta Stone Spanish software. I would like to know your experiences with the product and its effectiveness. I took two years of Spanish in high school and a semester in college, and am really interested in picking up...

I want to become fluent in a certain language and I heard that the Rosetta Stone was supposed to be good- does anybody know if that's actually true?

My boys want to learn German and Japanese and are pleading with me to purchase this software. They tell me that this is the best ever way to learn a language quickly, and there is a money-back guarantee. A three-pack program is about $500. Anything you...

I am think about learning italian and I am thinking about using Rosetta Stone. Can anyone tell me who has used it if it is effective?

Pimsleur seems to focus more on speech, whereas Rosetta Stone seems to focus on speech and reading. Which approach works better, based on your own experience?