Microsoft Announces Windows 7 Editions
By: Arie Slob
Today Microsoft announced the SKU lineup of Windows 7, and while the company says it will focus mainly on two editions: Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional; Microsoft offers a total of six different Windows 7 versions (more, if you count the stripped-down K, N and KN versions the company is required to sell overseas because of antitrust rulings). This is the full Windows 7 SKU (Stock Keeping Unit) line-up:
- Windows 7 Starter Edition (for netbook users)
- Windows 7 Home Basic (for emerging market customers only)
- Windows 7 Home Premium (the main consumer version)
- Windows 7 Professional (the business SKU for home and small business users)
- Windows 7 Enterprise (for medium to large businesses and enterprise customers that use Software Assurance)
- Windows 7 Ultimate (for consumers who want all the business features)
Key Feature List:
| Starter | Home Basic | Home Premium | Professional | Enterprise and Ultimate |
|
Broad app and device compatibility with up to 3 concurrent applications
Ability to join a Home Group Improved taskbar and JumpLists |
Starter features plus:
Unlimited applications Live Thumbnail Previews & enhanced visual experience Advanced networking support (ad-hoc wireless networks and internet connection sharing) Mobility Center |
Home Basic features plus:
Aero Glass & advanced windows navigation Easy networking & sharing across all your PCs & devices Improved media format support, enhancements to Windows Media Center and media streaming, including Play To Multi-touch and improved handwriting recognitio |
Home Premium features plus:
Ability to join a managed network with Domain Join Protect data with advanced network backup and Encrypting File System Print to the right printer at home or work with Location Aware Printing |
Professional and Consumer features plus:
BitLocker data protection on internal and external drives DirectAccess provides seamless connectivity to your corporate network. (requires Windows Server 2008 R2) Decrease time branch office workers wait to open file across the network with BranchCache. (requires Windows Server 2008 R2) |
Note: Windows 7 Enterprise is available only through Microsoft Volume Licensing
According to Mike Ybarra, general manager for Windows there are some changes to the Windows 7 packaging & marketing in comparison to Windows Vista: "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."
"The second change is that we have designed Windows 7 so different editions of Windows 7 can run on a very broad set of hardware, from small-notebook PCs (sometimes referred to as netbooks) to full gaming desktops. This way, customers can enable the scenarios they want across the broad hardware choices they have. "
"The third change lies in how we broadly communicate in the marketplace, to make these choices as simple and clear as possible for customers and partners."
This last point will (according to Microsoft) mean that the company will focus most of their marketing attention to only two primary editions: Windows 7 Home Premium, and Windows 7 Professional. Microsoft thinks that these two editions will serve the majority of their customers' needs. Windows 7 Home Premium as the recommended choice for consumers and Windows 7 Professional the recommended choice for small businesses users.
Microsoft has not yet announced pricing for Windows 7.