Windows 7 SKUs Announced: Yeah, There's Six Of Them

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/features/2009/feb09/02-03Win7SKU-QA.mspx' target='_blank'>http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/...Win7SKU-QA.mspx</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>"We've received great feedback from customers and partners through Windows XP and Windows Vista, and have learned a lot about how to communicate what's available in different editions of the operating system. At the same time, we have a customer base of over 1 billion along with many partners, so it's important to make sure the right edition of Windows with the right features set is available for them. The first change in Windows 7 was to make sure that editions of Windows 7 are a superset of one another. That is to say, as customers upgrade from one version to the next, they keep all features and functionality from the previous edition. As an example, some business customers using Windows Vista Business wanted the Media Center functionality that is in Windows Vista Home Premium but didn't receive it in Business edition. Customers won't have to face that trade-off with Windows 7. With Windows 7 there is a more natural progression from one edition to the next."</em></p><p>Well, it's official: Windows 7 will have six different versions. My initial reaction is to groan, but upon reading the full Q&amp;A, the reality is a <em>bit </em>better than I thought (though not by much). If this plays out the way Windows General Manager Mike Ybarra says it will, you should only see three version of Windows 7 when you're shopping for a new computer, either online or in a store: Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Business</span>, and Windows 7 Ultimate. The other versions, which are Enterprise, Basic, and Starter, will be available only through specific channels - Starter only in emerging markets, Basic only from OEMs and for specific hardware, and Enterprise only for IT groups (your typical big-business types). <MORE /></p><p>I like the idea of having basically two versions of Windows 7, Home Premium or Professional <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Business</span>, put in front of the consumer - that's a pretty basic distinction most people will understand. Equally as important is that the Professinal <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Business</span> edition is a superset of Home Premium, meaning it has everything Home Premium does, but more. That means Windows Media Center, DVD burning, etc. That makes the decision making process easier...but I really wish they had killed Ultimate. Microsoft completely failed to live up to the promise of what Vista Ultimate was meant to be, and they insulted everyone who paid extra for it thinking they were getting more value for the money with the extremely weak "Ultimate Extras". I also hate how Dell, HP, and most of the other OEMs that offer custom builds promote Vista Ultimate - they're frequently quite deceptive in how they describe the differences.</p><p>Here's my fear: Dell will try and sell crappy low-end computers with Windows 7 Basic on it, high end computers with Windows 7 Ultimate, and computers in between with Windows 7 Home Premium (or even Professinal <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Business</span>) - and consumers will once again be in the confusing place of trying to figure out which version of Windows 7 is right for them.</p>

[David Horn]

It concerns me that the mobility centre has been stripped from Home Premium.

[Jason Dunn]

It concerns me that the mobility centre has been stripped from Home Premium.

Hmm...that's a bit curious. :confused:

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

Heh, Jason probably doesn't see it much of an upgrade then! :P

I have to say, Jason seems to be one of the few people to get the note that each variant is a superset of the next. The rest of the tech world have been all doom and gloom over the different SKUs...

Personally I like it. Hopefully 7 Pro won't cost too much.

[brianchris]

I really wish they had killed Ultimate. Microsoft completely failed to live up to the promise of what Vista Ultimate was meant to be


I disagree...within the Vista timeline, if you wanted features from Business (drive encryption, remote desktop host, etc.) AND Home Premium, you had to get Vista Ultimate....in other words, there was a place for Ultimate.

Things are very different with the Windows 7 SKU's you report: Since Business includes everything Home Premium does, Ultimate is going to REALLY have to have something extra to justify purchasing it.

[Stinger]

Not bad, now please sort out a decent family licensing deal.

[alanjrobertson]

There's a helpful summary here too - http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/win7_skus.asp (particularly his chat about the Ultimate edition) - overall I still think MS could have slimmed things down a little more than they have done, but at least the differentials between each product are a little clearer.

[Bob Christensen]

Has anyone heard anything about upgrade prices? Since Windows 7 is really just a cleaned-up and fixed Vista, it should be inexpensive... right? Yea, I know--that's a fantasy.

[Jason Dunn]

I disagree...within the Vista timeline, if you wanted features from Business (drive encryption, remote desktop host, etc.) AND Home Premium, you had to get Vista Ultimate....in other words, there was a place for Ultimate.

True, for some people - but how many people needed both Windows Media Center AND remote desktop? Yes, I'm one of those people (only for Remote Desktop though, not Bitlocker), but the cross section of people that needed/wanted both is, I believe, quite small. And, hell, I haven't paid for a Microsoft OS in years - if I had to shell out an extra $140 (that's what Dell.com charges today for Ultimate over Home Premium) just to get Remote Desktop, I'd be pissed. I'd certainly have switched to another remote desktop solution.

My real issues with Ultimate is how it was marketed to consumers - if the OEMs such as Dell and HP were open and honest with consumers and actually said "With Vista Ultimate you get Remote Desktop, Bitlocker Drive Encryption, and the following Ultimate Extras..." then people would be able to make an informed decision.

What does Dell say today the one and only bullet-point difference between Ultimate and Home Premium is? I kid you not, I just checked:

"Simple network connectivity"

To my knowledge, there is NO difference between "network connectivity" when it comes to using Home Premium vs. Ultimate.

Vista Ultimate, as it stands today, is marketed in a deceptive way to consumers.

[Jason Dunn]

Not bad, now please sort out a decent family licensing deal.

I can only guess, but I strongly suspect that Microsoft will screw this up again, just like last time. They simply can't make themselves go the Mac route with a family pack of 5 licenses for $199. Though did that price change? I thought it used to be $149...anyway, 5 licenses for $199 is a GREAT deal for anyone that has multiple machines. Microsoft's attempt to offer something similar with Vista was laughable...they made it too complex, and made it require the purchase of Vista Ultimate. <sigh> :(

[Jason Dunn]

Has anyone heard anything about upgrade prices? Since Windows 7 is really just a cleaned-up and fixed Vista, it should be inexpensive... right? Yea, I know--that's a fantasy.

Nothing has been announced yet about the pricing. There will have been about three years of development work that will have gone into Windows 7 by the time it comes out, so calling it a "cleaned-up and fixed Vista" isn't exactly accurate. ;)

Though I *do* think that Microsoft should offer a deep discount to anyone who bought Vista Ultimate - Microsoft never delivered any significant added value to the people who ponied up for that version of Vista...

[doogald]

I can only guess, but I strongly suspect that Microsoft will screw this up again, just like last time. They simply can't make themselves go the Mac route with a family pack of 5 licenses for $199. Though did that price change? I thought it used to be $149...anyway, 5 licenses for $199 is a GREAT deal for anyone that has multiple machines. Microsoft's attempt to offer something similar with Vista was laughable...they made it too complex, and made it require the purchase of Vista Ultimate. <sigh> :(

It's too bad that they do not go whole hog copying of Apple and just have a single sku of Windows, letting users choose the features they want or do not want. They could be bundled in easy to choose sets; feature choice could be locked down by profiles for enterprises who do not wish their users to have certain features. Then they only need to worry about a few skus, including the N skus for Europe, etc.

[Jason Dunn]

There's a helpful summary here too - http://www.winsupersite.com/win7/win7_skus.asp

Pretty good summary there - thanks for the link! What I'm still concerned about though is seeing Ultimate offered as an upgrade offer by Dell, HP, and others - because it's a way for them to make more money off every computer they sell. And that's hard for them to resist!

And what about netbooks? Because they lack powerful hardware, will we see some vendors offering them with Windows 7 Basic? I hope not. All indications, including my own testing, are that Windows 7 Ultimate runs just fine on a netbook - so let's hope the netbook makers aren't allowed to offer Windows 7 Basic as a way of lowering the overall cost of the units...

And I'm also wondering if this will be the time in history where 64-bit is pushed and pushed hard. I think it's time, even if there are so many lazy developers that are still refusing to offer 64-bit versions of their products. But if both 32 bit and 64 bit versions are offered to the customer, that will also muddy the mix.