Windows 7 versions announced

And it's worse than you thought...

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

Basically, there are 6 versions, including one so crippled, you can only run 3 applications simultaneously. Very disappointing... apparently Apple's ribbing didn't register with Microsoft.

i only have two words...

eee gads.

I have also read that Microsoft is planning a Netbook version. I have Windows 7 Ultimate (Beta) installed on a Netbook and it is very fast. I was hoping for the so called Netbook version, but wonder if it will be crippled and only run 2-3 apps at a time?

Come on Microsoft, give us one good version that works on everything!

One version at $240-250 would return them the same money as having all those ridiculous options. They're going to lose users they wouldn't have other wise, just due to all the versions.

How about just a Home and Business edition, period.

Home Edition should be $150, Business edition should be available to consumers who need domain membership, server folder synchronization, etc for $200. The $250+ price points are ridiculous and just make people seek out other avenues. Microsoft wouldn't need product activation and other insane copy protection mechanisms if they just charged reasonable prices.

It's an OS for pity's sake... it just boots your machine and provides an avenue to run your software. It shouldn't cost an arm and a leg.

Awesome. The Windows guys at work were just saying they need more versions to support - job security! All I get is AIX 5.3 and 6.1.

cwa107 said:

How about just a Home and Business edition, period.

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Seriously, Microsoft got it right with XP with just the two versions. Why it feels the need to provide so many of Vista and 7 is beyond me.

I doubt if we would see home basic as they are saying that is for emerging markets. I hope for the starter they pull that only 3 tasks at one time crap.

gagnerants said:

I doubt if we would see home basic as they are saying that is for emerging markets. I hope for the starter they pull that only 3 tasks at one time crap.

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I'd agree with you. A Basic version that isn't restricted would be nice if the footprint was small and the price was low. A mail app, a browser and a text editor for copying text off the internet... guess that covers the three open apps. Doesn't entice me to even try it. The manufacturers had some similar stuff with Windows Home Edition installed on netbooks. Dell had limitations placed on them by MS for 8GB SSD's and 1 GB RAM capacity for the Mini 9. Not sure if they still apply though. Probably part of the reason people rushed out to sell upgrades for them on the bay. I think you had to get the Ubuntu OS factory installed to be able to order the version with more than a 16GB SSD. Even then they still were limited to 1GB RAM from the factory, even though major brand 2Gb 533mhz chips were selling for about $25.

Kash said:

Seriously, Microsoft got it right with XP with just the two versions. Why it feels the need to provide so many of Vista and 7 is beyond me.

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Agreed and with CWA also. I remember Windows 2k. There was Pro and Server. That was all they needed. Very much like OSX and OSX Server.

dtravis7 said:

Agreed and with CWA also. I remember Windows 2k. There was Pro and Server. That was all they needed. Very much like OSX and OSX Server.

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They had planned a Home edition of 2K too, but eventually the plan was scrapped when they came to the conclusion that the vast majority of home users weren't ready to go over to the NT kernel - and at the time, they were right.

I really think Microsoft needs to go back and reconsider the pricing and product lines, especially in light of the popularity of Linux and Apple. Heck, most people don't even buy Windows outright, it just comes bundled. So, the only people they're really hitting hard in the pockets are those that are savvy enough to upgrade or build a new machine. Why force people through hoops with OEM versions and whatnot?

Just make 2 versions, one for home and one for business. Strip the eye candy and other fluff from the business version. Strip the domain membership capability, group policy and other enterprise-centric fluff from the Home version and you're good to go. $150 for the Home versions and $250 for the Business version. It would sell like crazy, especially in light of the current economic conditions.

If they want to do Media Center, Tablet and other platform specific versions, sell them as $50 add-in packages. An OS shouldn't be everything and the kitchen sink. I thought Microsoft had "gotten it" when they unbundled Mail, Calendar, IM and other stuff in Windows 7, leaving it up to the user to decide what they want. Apparently not...

The "Starter" version might be a useful lower-cost option to companies that want to install Windows on a kiosk, schools for computer labs, or for highly limited hardware (like the cheaper netbooks or mobile devices) that either can't or don't need to run lots of apps concurrently. I doubt it would be bundled with any traditional computers and I'm not sure if they'd even sell it in a store (they might tuck one in a corner somewhere just so the store can advertise a lower starting price point for Windows).

"Home Basic" in Vista is basically Vista without the eye candy (and thus without the high system requirements). It's probably also useful for netbooks with their poor graphics chipsets and for older hardware that can't handle Aero.

"Home Premium" is the best for almost all consumers, basically a bit less crippled than XP Home was. Not sure why they need to have "Business" and "Ultimate" separately. BTW, as a Vista Ultimate user, I can safely say that the Ultimate version provides no real benefit. I didn't choose to get this version - it's just what my school sent me when I requested a Vista DVD (they were practically giving them away).

I agree that only two versions are really necessary, though having a couple specialized ones can't hurt. That is, instead of crippling one version and calling it "Starter," why not just call it "Netbook edition" or "Kiosk edition" or something? And I'm guessing the Ultimate version was added to fleece those people who feel like getting "just" Home Premium isn't enough (even though it is).