Windows 7 to Come in Six Varieties

Remember back in the day before we had choices? Yeah, me neither. Anyway, with the word coming out today that Windows 7 will be released in six different varieties, those days, whether imagined or real, seem at first glance to be farther away than ever.


Of course versions of Windows have released in multiple flavors since near the beginning of the product line--remember Vista--and there were rumors swirling around during the Windows 7 beta that indicated there would be multiple versions in this case too, but still at face value six different versions seems like a lot. But according to a quick but informative breakdown of the different skus reported on Gizmodo this morning maybe the choices laid before us will not be too daunting after all. The six Windows 7 versions are:

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 (available to volume license owners only, boot from virtual drive, BitLocker)
Windows 7 Ultimate (consumer customer oriented but with limited availability, includes everything)

According to this post, as well as the information above, the average user is basically looking at a very XP like choice of Home vs. Professional, or more accurately, Home Premium vs. Professional. This is based on the Starter version's limited functionality, making it almost a demo version of the software or perhaps something more suitable to netbooks; the Home Basic version's focus on emerging markets; the Enterprise version's exclusivity to volume licensees; and the Ultimate edition's bias toward the needs and deep pockets of the consumer power user.

The other good news is that per the All About Microsoft blog, Microsoft has confirmed that XP users who want to upgrade directly to Windows 7, without passing Vista, will be able to do so, although they will need to do a clean installation of Windows 7. No word yet on pricing for this unfortunately. All in all, sounds like a pretty simple 'either/or' choice for the average consumer putting together a system or shopping for a license online or at a brick and mortar store, which is how a massive percentage of users are going decide the fate of their OS anyway.