Windows 7 version lineup revealed: Prepare for disappointment

[democracy1st]

Remember when Vista was announced, and Microsoft decided to release six different versions of the operating system, much to the confusion, disappointment, and ridicule of potential buyers? Well guess what? Microsoft is back with the Windows 7 strategy. What has it learned in the last three years? Pretty much nothing.

While Microsoft is touting the "two primary editions" of Windows 7 -- a Home Premium edition and a Professional (intended for business) edition -- the fact is it's sticking with the same six different versions (or SKUs, stock-keeping units) that it had for Vista.

The real difference is that Windows 7 Home Basic -- the much-reviled stripped-down version of Vista that was designed for bare-bones PCs -- is now being shunted to emerging markets only, though it will still exist. But to confuse matters, a Windows 7 Starter edition, which will run only three applications simultaneously, will also be available.

Also a glimmer of hope: Home Premium will have most of the same features you're used to in Vista Home Premium, but the new Windows 7 Professional is a nice improvement over Vista Business Edition in that Windows 7 Pro will include all of the features from Home Premium (including Media Center and gaming capabilities), plus some other business-centric extras. If there's a bright spot in this news, it's that the Pro version finally looks enticing, unlike the neutered business version of Vista that was pawned off on workplaces two years ago.

But Microsoft blows it again with two more SKUs, again offering an Enterprise and Ultimate version of Windows 7, both containing features that ought to be included off the shelf in Windows 7 Professional. That means nickel-and-diming buyers once again in order to get the BitLocker encryption system.

Microsoft touts the new SKU structure as a "streamlining" of its product line, but I'm having trouble seeing how the Windows 7 lineup is much of an improvement. Things seemed to work pretty well with XP's two versions -- and the Mac folks get along fine with just one. But in an attempt to wring every last dollar out of every last customer, Microsoft again sticks us with a complicated version nightmare that no one's going to like. Is the honeymoon over already? Dang.

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/118401





Windows 7 SKUs announced: your worst nightmare has come to pass







Remember that screenshot we saw of all those different Windows 7 versions (pictured above)? Well guess what? It's worse than you could have possibly imagined. The following will be the actual new SKUs for the OS:

Windows 7 Starter (limited to three apps concurrently)

Windows 7 Home Basic (for emerging markets)
Windows 7 Home Premium (adds Aero, Touch, Media Center)

Windows 7 Professional (Remote Desktop host, Mobility Center, Presentation mode)

Windows 7 Enterprise (volume license only, boot from virtual drive, BitLocker)

Windows 7 Ultimate (limited availability, includes everything)

This information has been confirmed by Microsoft... who never listens to us. At least most consumers will only see Home Premium and Professional options at retail, which is more akin to the XP options of yore, and means WMC will be "baseline" for most PCs.

Update: Just to be clear, we've checked specifically with Microsoft on all six versions, and the placement of Home Basic in emerging markets. There's now a full breakdown after the break.

Windows 7 Starter

Available worldwide to OEMs on new PCs
Missing Aero UI tweaks
Limited to 3 simultaneous applications
Windows 7 Home Basic (Vista equivalent: $200)
Only available in emerging markets
Missing Aero UI tweaks
Windows 7 Home Premium (Vista equivalent: $260)
Available worldwide, to OEMs and in retail
Includes Aero UI tweaks
Features multi-touch capabilities
Adds "premium" games
Adds media capabilities (Media Center, DVD playback, DVD creation, etc.)
Can create home network groups
Windows 7 Professional (Vista equivalent: $300)
Available worldwide, to OEMs and in retail
Includes all features of Premium
Adds enhanced networking capabilities (Remote Desktop host, domain support, offline folders, etc.)
Adds Mobility Center
Adds Presentation Mode
Windows 7 Enterprise

Available only in volume licenses
Includes all features of Professional
Adds Branch Cache
Adds Direct Access
Adds BitLocker
Windows 7 Ultimate (Vista equivalent: $320)
Limited OEM and retail availability
Includes all features of Enterprise

http://www.engadget.com/2009/02/03/windows-7-skus-announced-yes-your-worst-nightmare-has-come-to/

[onehandle]

1. The pig that is Vista all lipsticked up.

OSX comes in one flavor.

Complete.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

3. But then I would have to use an Apple and pay more for equivalent performance

I do Linux which skunks both Apple and Windows in terms of price performance

[liberal N proud]

2. Windows 7 Starter will allow PC mfg's to market a cheaper PC

Then if you want a system that you can actually tolerate using, you will have to pay the upgrade price.

[Bonhomme Richard]

4. My next computer is going to be a Mac n/t

[burythehatchet]

17. I made that statement 10 years ago and never looked back.

[Bonhomme Richard]

18. My youngest son is a mac genius at Apple so.....

I really have no excuse.

[Dogmudgeon]

5. And in a depression economy, how well will that sell?

$150 for a crippled, locked-down, and increasingly outdated chunk of software is NOT going to sell well enough to justify its existence.

The Macintosh OS is far better, but it's still expensive. Linux/BSD is likely to do extremely well, provided it gets the idiot-proofing it needs and has been lacking. What a gearhead like me finds amusing, a newbie would find panic-inducing.

One of the reasons I switched over to Linux was because I became disabled, my income fell precipitously, and I could no longer afford the yearly $700 cost for a developer's "software license" -- not to mention that I was no longer a professional developer. And that fee still kept me locked out of a lot of the software. And forget about multiple-core processors (until Vista, a flagrant violation of the Microsoft EULA), USB-device-based OSs, and running a box without antivirus, anti-spyware and anti-malware systems.

With Linux, computing is fun again, and everything is free (beer, speech, rinse, repeat). It bears mentioning that the modern MacOS is a (highly modified) Unix derivative, too.

I have no animus toward Bill Gates, but let's face it, the only way he (actually, the CEO is now Steve Balmer) is going to do the right thing is if he loses money and actually has some competition. We geek types ought to commit to double MacOS use and increase Linux/BSD use to 10% of all desktops within the next 5 years. At that point, Microsoft may go back to being a software company rather than a cash cow for a dozen executives and a thousand "intellectual property" lawyers.

Then again, maybe I'm naive to think so. But Hope is back in style, is it not?

--p!

[POAS]

16. Using Ubuntu as my alrenate now

maybe my full time opsys soon!

[Mike 03]

6. Sad. They can no longer innovate, so they've decided to replicate. NT

[HopeHoops]

7. How would being disappointed by Microsoft be anything NEW???

[BlooInBloo]

8. I've never understood people bitching about this. Buy the one you want....

Don't buy the one you don't want.

Done.

[Shardik]

9. What strikes me as odd is that they finally got Vista working properly

and now they seem to just be rebranding it as Windows 7. I'm happy with Vista and feel that there is a lot of hype as to how bad it is. No BSD's and a solid system for folks that have the hardware for it. And therein lies the problem in my opinion. There are too many cheap boxes and laptops being built today for Vista that won't run worth crap on once a program or two is installed. If they were really designing for Vista, they would run it effortlessly under the full load of lots of background programs.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

10. W7 really is Vista 1.1

The comparison to W98se is almost overwhelming

[crimsonblue]

11. get a mac or linux box. n/t

[Initech]

12. Microshit is only going to drive customers away.

I'm sticking with Apple. Their OS only comes in one version.

[KillCapitalism]

13. Yawn.

I've played with Windows 7 beta on one system I have. There's nothing really new or revolutionary about it. Like others have said, it's pretty much a refreshed version of Vista.

[Baikonour]

14. What's REALLY ridiculous is that all the crap being "added" to Windows 7...

...are nothing more than fixes to Vista. It's an overblown service pack that you have to PAY for.

Stick with XP. Or OSX.

[POAS]

15. I tried to run the beta

Download was a pain in the A**.

Program wouldn't properly install on my spare hard drive and kept crashing during the install process. (I know it's only a beta but you'd think it would at least be able to install itself)

Not an auspicious beginning from my point of view.