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

"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."

Well, it's official: Windows 7 will have six different versions. My initial reaction is to groan, but upon reading the full Q&A, the reality is a bit 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 Business, 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).

I like the idea of having basically two versions of Windows 7, Home Premium or Professional Business, put in front of the consumer - that's a pretty basic distinction most people will understand. Equally as important is that the Professinal Business 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.

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 Business) - and consumers will once again be in the confusing place of trying to figure out which version of Windows 7 is right for them.