How many versions of Windows 7 will it take?
February 4, 2009 by Valerie HelmbreckPosted in: Budgets and spending, Hardware, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, Software, operating systems
So how many versions of Windows 7 will Microsoft throw at customers before they throw up their hands in disgust and shun the newest OS as firmly and unequivocally as they did Vista?
Well, if six is the number, then the software behemoth is is big trouble. Because that’s the number they’re planning — even after the debacle of Vista that was caused in part by the wide variety of versions of it offered. (Of course, it didn’t help that all versions were so confusing, bloated and convoluted that even the sophisticated user had trouble managing them.)
And what’s the staggering lineup of versions include? Well, here’s what’s being proffered:
- Starter: Only sold with new PCs. For “emerging markets,” (emerging from what, the Stone Age?) This is the core system without any of the gussy-it-up stuff, desktop enhancements, or super security. Three apps only allowed.
- Home Basic: Starter plus more apps.
- Home Premium: This one will have the fancy stuff and will be on most PCs. It’s won’t have the extended security and mobility features of the upper-tier versions.
- Professional: Everything in Premium, plus encryption and network features that will make it more attractive to business.
- Enterprise: Professional plus. Includes Bitlocker and Applocker and some other system-management capabilities.
- Ultimate: Windows 7 on steroids. Everything included, but word is it won’t be widely available. I can hear the groans of disappointment already. (Yeah, that’s a really old marketing tactic to make folks think they’ve got something ordinary mortals will be denied. Won’t these folks at MS ever learn?)
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Tags: Microsoft, operating system, OS, versions, Vista, Windows7
February 10th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
This is really pathetic. While Windows 7 is IMHO a far better version of Vista than sp1, it’s still Vista.
Windows 2000 only had one flavor – Professional. Windows NT4 too only the one version.
With XP, MS dumped upon us the Home version (which many of my clients purchased OEM only to find out that they had to upgrade in order to join a domain) Professional and Media Center.
Why convolute the whole mess with the tiered garbage? Why not simply provide a basic home version, a professional version and for the masochists, an ultimate version?
It’s pretty clear that MS realy doesn’t care about providing the best product, only $$
February 10th, 2009 at 12:21 pm
I just installed Windows 7 Beta. I’m not excited, looks like Vista so far.
It’s funny, there are was Apple commercial you know the one with the hip kid and the dorky business man. Anyhow, PC man had two piles of money. A really big pile for advertising and marketing, and a smaller pile for research and development.
The Apple guy points to the research and development pile and says “I don’t think that’ll be enough money to fix all the problems in Vista.” The PC guy picks up the small Research and Devlopment money and throws it on the advertising pile.
HAHAHAHAHAHA, sad but true…
February 10th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
Starter – that must be for the EU folks. Look how many Linux versions we have! choose your poison .
What you’ll find is nobody cares. Everything is VM now , pop into 98, pop into 2000, pop into XP, pop into Linux – different VM machines all running different OSs at once, there is no one machine one OS any more. 7 is just another OS, if there is use we pop in and out of that one too. The time has come to move on to the OS as just another App.
sorry about the EU comment….humor eh!
J
February 10th, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Anything more than 3 is a mistake.
Consolidate the first two into the emerging market version and stop nickle and diming people.
There should be one version for home and one for the office. If MS wants to charge for the Bitlocker and other apps (IMHO the only reason to have Professional and Enterprise versions), then sell it as an add on.
I find the multiple versions tedious, counter productive and just one more thing to track.
February 10th, 2009 at 4:33 pm
All I can say is Apple’s OS-X rocks! No lock ups, freezes, or lost data; easy to use; and works on PC’s or Mac’s. An no, I do not work for Apple – I’ve used both and know quality when I see it.