Read more.Speculation on the number of Windows 7 SKUs is running rife, but will there be one aimed solely at the burgeoning netbook market?
Read more.Speculation on the number of Windows 7 SKUs is running rife, but will there be one aimed solely at the burgeoning netbook market?
a Home edition inclduing media center? Isn't that what the EU banned them from including in the "Windows Vista Home Basic N" Edition?
Who reckons that Windows 7 either won't include internet explorer, or will also include rival browsers? that'd be an interesting complication.
Ultimate with 3 licences... we wish :\
Given how well the 'ultimate' version runs on my Acer (with 1gb) it's not technically necessary - but it will be from a cost perspective (because netbooks need to be super-cheap).
I can but hope they abandon basic, and make the entry level home premium (which is what most people want). I prefered the 'pro' designator to the 'business' & 'home' divide - and ultimate worked out as largely pointless. I'd suggest they do home (which is home premium, no domain support) and pro (which has domain support) and keep it that way.
That said, by the time the EU have their way - we'll need 'N' (no media versions) plus 'NIE' (no IE versions) - both of which nobody will buy, just like last time.
Windows 7 Home Basic^H^H^H^H^H Starter^H^H^H^H^H^H^H Netbook Edition
"We're being a little bit optimistic with our pricing...."
And that will ultimately be Windows 7's downfall. If the home edition came out at around £30 I'd probably *actually buy a copy*, but I'd put money on the Home edition being more like £60 - and that probably OEM rather than retail. If that's the case then I'll either stick with XP or move to Linux - despite actually *liking* Windows 7 so far.
As to media player / centre and IE, why not make them optional components? Windows installs without them, but they can be added from the DVD once the install has finished. That way you can have 3 SKUs: Home, with no domain support but media extras on the DVD, Business, with domain support but no media stuff at all, and Ultimate, with domain support and media extras on the DVD. It would then be up to OEMs to decide which browsers and media players to include on their computers. See, nice and simple
Unfortunately, if Microsoft apply prices much above your prices I can see their market share slipping further. I know quite a few people who are being attracted to Linux because it's essentially free. If it wasn't for the wealth of Windows software I run now, then Ubuntu would be my choice, but it's lloking like my best option with older hardware being so cheap, to have a crappy windows box, and a crappy Linux box, and use them wherever necessary. As I have an XP licence, I thus won't buy windows as there is no point....and this is the same scenario that many other people I know are in
Old puter - still good enuff till I save some pennies!
I dont see why microsoft cant release just one version.
at start of install have following options.
Home
Business
All
custom
if you want just the home stuff select home
for business stuff pick business
for ultimate full choose ultimate
for full custom choose custom.
plus once its installed just go to add/remove windows componants to install and uninstall componants.
it would mean that if i wanted the home stuff but also wanted say local security policy to tighten up the security i can.
the other operating system i use is Fedora. i can choose whatever i want to. if i want to add/remove stuff i just openup packagekit.
Personally I'd like to see them to move to a different stratergy.
Firstly: Purchase Windows 7, this runs in either 32 or 64bit mode depending on how it's installed.
Next: Purchase Add-Ons, want Domain support, buy it, want to use media centre? sure and so on.
It'd be a *far* simpler way and, more importantly if the EU really gets a stick up it's arse this time, then MS can simply open up the add on functionality to let people sell similiar packages.
I've seen software with a similar approach and if it's done right it could really make things a damned site easier
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This is bunny and friends. He is fed up waiting for everyone to help him out, and decided to help himself instead!
I suspect we'll see 6+ editions of Vista this time around..taking into account all the retarded editions that the EU will force MS to release.
I think that you are probably right with the general release types though - a home, business and ultimate edition..with sub-sets of some of those to keep the EU happy.
A netbook specific edition is also likely..even if it will really be the same as the other releases, there are some optimisations that could be made for the smaller screens.
Pricing wise I think you are way out, thats far too cheap..Microsoft would be stupid to sell Windows at that price.. I would expect retail (not OEM) prices to Start at at around £100 at least for the home edition rising to ~£150 and £200 for the business and ultimate editions. I think that would be fair considering what the product is, and also that MOST people would pay those prices for it..of course all the thousands of internet based microsoft haters will disagree with me here and think i'm a fanboy or something, but in reality its just business..the majority of customers will pay those prices so Microsoft will charge it. I would if I were them.
Still, as said..this is all just speculation, they are keeping their cards close to their chest on this one..
I'd like to see it released as a service pack to vista, which is what it is.
Well wishful thinking.
yes but that means if you want the home features and one business feature you have to buy the way overpriced ultimate. that why only microsoft wins. oem home premium costs around £60 ultimate costs £157. windows 7 should be windows 7. shouldnt be different versions IMO.
OSX only has one version one cost.
I dont know why vista has so many versions anyway.
Last edited by lodore; 01-02-2009 at 01:49 PM.
If that were the "right" way to do it then why are Apple a minority share, and as far as business is concerned, hardly even a blip on the radar. It just doesn't make sense for the lower end market to "have" to buy the more expensive all encompassing OS when it has stuff they don't need. OSX is more expensive than the lower end editions of Vista for example. Only way it would work as far as customer needs and demands would be to make one OS but priced at the current lowest end, and that's not going to happen and probably wouldn't be profitable.
Last edited by superscaper; 01-02-2009 at 05:03 PM.
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