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Microsoft has settled on six versions, including an Ultimate edition that will combine the best of the company's corporate and consumer features. The company is aiming to have all of the versions ready for launch in the second half of this year.
"We're really trying to make sure we have the right set of offerings for different customers," said Barry Goffe, a director in Microsoft's Windows client unit.
Consumers will also be able to buy either Vista Home Basic or Vista Home Premium, in addition to the Ultimate edition, while businesses will be able to choose Vista Business or, if they have a volume licensing deal, they can opt for a higher-end Vista Enterprise edition. Microsoft also plans a Vista Starter edition that will be sold only on new PCs in emerging markets.
The final versions that Microsoft is announcing on Monday are similar to the ones Microsoft has long been considering, with one exception; there is not a version specifically for small businesses. Instead, Microsoft is adding a number of small business features, including advanced backup and additional tutorials, as part of its Vista Business edition.
Microsoft is also doing away with the notion of Media Center and Tablet PC as distinct flavors of the operating system, as was the case with Windows XP. With Vista Home Premium and Vista Ultimate, consumers will be able to buy a machine that has both Media Center and Tablet PC capabilities. Tablet PC functions will also be included in Vista Business and Vista Enterprise.
With Windows XP, Goffe said, people "really have to compromise."
"Either I get all the great media experience or I get all of the mobility features," he said. "What if I want a great home experience and a great business experience?"
Goffe said that Windows Vista Ultimate is Microsoft's answer to that question. "More and more customers are using the same PC at work and at home, particularly small businesses," he said. "We are delivering an offering that brings everything together." Ultimate combines features from the Enterprise and Premium versions.
Another of the new packages for Microsoft is Windows Vista Enterprise, which is limited to customers that have a Software Assurance contract or an Enterprise Agreement licensing plan and adds several features that won't be in the standard business version.
It will include two features designed to help with compatibility issues. This means a new subsystem that can run Unix Applications and Virtual PC express and a limited version of Microsoft's emulation software that will allow Vista enterprise users to run an older version of Windows as a virtual machine. Vista Enterprise will also have built-in support for BitLocker, an encryption feature that prevents others from accessing data if a PC is lost or stolen. BitLocker is also available in Vista Ultimate, which includes all of the features of Vista Business and Vista Home Premium.
Microsoft has been planning for some time to offer higher-end versions of its OS with Vista. CEO Steve Ballmer first noted that an Enterprise version was coming at a financial analysts' meeting last summer. Microsoft had also long hinted that with Vista, customers would be able to buy a machine that had both Tablet and Media Center features.
On the consumer side, the Home Basic version will have most of the searching and security features, but won't be able to do the advanced "Glass" graphics effects that are part of Vista's Aero user interface. The basic version, which is aimed at low-end PCs and very price-conscious buyers, also won't have the same music and media-center abilities of Home Premium.
See more CNET content tagged:
Barry Goffe, tablet, tablet PC, Microsoft Windows Vista, small business
So, for me, the immediate question given my laptop's age is "Why should I bother to upgrade to the basic version of Vista when XP Pro does everything I need it to do?"
Note to Firefox/Thunderbird users. You must set the Firefox/Thunderbird themes to default before installing Vista Inspirat---if you don't, it will take over your themes and every Firefox/Thunderbird theme will look exactly the same as the default one modified. This caused me to perform a system restore the first time I installed. When I re-installed using default themes, the other themes remained unaltered. Otherwise I had no problems installing this.
I greatly enjoy Vista Inspirat---it was well worth installing, four days ago. Here's the link, for anyone else that is interested:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.crystalxp.net/bricopack/en.htm" target="_newWindow">http://www.crystalxp.net/bricopack/en.htm</a>
Note to Firefox/Thunderbird users. You must set the Firefox/Thunderbird themes to default before installing Vista Inspirat---if you don't, it will take over your themes and every Firefox/Thunderbird theme will look exactly the same as the default one modified. This caused me to perform a system restore the first time I installed. When I re-installed using default themes, the other themes remained unaltered. Otherwise I had no problems installing this.
I greatly enjoy Vista Inspirat---it was well worth installing, four days ago. Here's the link, for anyone else that is interested:
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.crystalxp.net/bricopack/en.htm" target="_newWindow">http://www.crystalxp.net/bricopack/en.htm</a>
Always just thought it was the normal Mac nerd brigade shooting of their mouths. Perhaps they have a point.
operating system. Apple has done a great job at offering tons of
features and functionality while having only 1 version of Mac OS X
and pricing it at just $129, and it gets even better, students and
teachers get it at only $69! Its years ahead of windows.
your point about mac os only being 129 isnt exactly valid either, as with windows you genenerally will get an OS and get free upgrades for it for 3-5 years+, while mac will charge 129 dollars every time it comes out with an OS update
XP and OS-10.1 (Puma) were released late 2001,
By the time Vista comes out, OS-10 will be at 10.5 (Leopard)
Total cost for Mac to upgrade each version = 645 dollars.
I'll stick with windows and pay a little bit more at release, but have a product that will be a standard OS for many years.
OS, one is enough. And a true OS can't be delivered in segments.
more to larger organizations like universities
Why would the little old lady, who really only does email & a bit of web browsing, want the very same OS as a fortune500 company with thousands of employees ?
But see it is all there for you turn on if you want it. So the choice is there if you want it. They don't make (force) you decide at time of purchase and make you buy another license for just one feature that you need later on.
So now you know that you have many choices to add later if you want with out the upgrade cost.
Think Different! and you will understand.
Hundreds, even thousands of flavours to choose from, plus choices in the apps you use. All for free and all without viruses or malware.
There is a whole world outside of Windows.
going to school for a IT service job, and become the next guru of
windows. Granny's are people too!
Seriously though, IMHO it's getting to the point where Microsoft should just consider selling feature packs for the OS (i.e. similar to the old IBM "golden screw driver" concept), where you buy a base package and then have the flexibility to add sets of features as you want/need them. Yeah it's silly that they are differentiating on features that should be in the OS to begin with, however if they are going to do it at least the give the customer the flexibility to change in the future without having to pay for a whole new OS "version" to do it.
What also raises my eyebrows is that they disabled the new interface on the base consumer version. The two explanations for that are that it won't run well on your eMachine with on-board graphics or they don't want people "setteling" for that version even though they use their computers a lot.
Very misleading to pump up the new interface then yank it from the base version.
<a class="jive-link-external" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4754462.stm" target="_newWindow">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4754462.stm</a>
I expect Linux will eventually make it's usual appearance, which in itself would be good to see, but it would be interesting if a Media version of Vista will make an appearance.
ONE VERSION that is MODULAR in design.
After installation & during first boot up a screen appears that allows users to choose THREE BUTTONS :
1. Home / Student version Vista
2. Home Business / SOHO version Vista
3. Corporate / Pro verion Vista
each number has a brief definition as to what is included & USER SELECTS WHICH "Vista" they want to "experience"...
VISTA MEDIA PC EDITION is an upgrade to be downloaded later.
Large Corporate User's will have the Vista Server version with the contract / licensing deals that are arranged by MS Sales Consultants at time of purchase.
LET THE PEOPLE CHOOSE ON THEIR OWN CITIZEN GATES.
ALSO: what ablout future virus / security updates for all the SIX versions of Vista OS...NIGHTMARE!
K.I.S.S. + MODULAR OS Design is the answer, not six versions.
AstaLaVistaOS...too much,too late.
Welcome to your future nightmate,
welcome to Microsoft Vista1/2/3/4/5/6
Microsoft knows how to market, they are not making any "bad" business desicions here. Not saying it will be wonderful for the users, but businesses stay in business by paying attention to the bottom line. I seem to recall that there are a good number of Ipods floating around out there. Do you think it's because Macintosh, out of the kindness of their heart wanted to make an Ipod available to everyone. Please, they are going to squeeze every last dollar out of the idea they can before cell phones make it obsolete.
and software vs Microsoft. I wonder at the end of the day, do they
wash out? For the most part, Apple's prices for hardware are high
and for software are low (ignoring Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro,
Aperature, etc for the moment). Microsoft does not make the
hardware but their software prices are generally much higher.
Mac simply don't have the breadth of customer base - the can build 1 specialized OS that delivers most all things their entire customer base wants.
But M$'s customer base includes non-computer-literate little old ladies, computer geeks, small businesses, government, enterprises, etc. There's no way they can target their entire customer base with 1 OS.
I like the idea of support pacs. Except for the complexity and number of installs. Also - don't assume that there is a common set of core processes. There may well be different executables for different versions - not simply add-ons.
So - I see no reason for M$ to produce 1 version of Vista, that includes support for things like MQ (hey Mac users - my Windows MQ client software installs straight into my Windows machine - how are you doing installing that Willow TP client? :-)
1 single flavour of Tiger, raise above all.
Not a hardcore mac fan and still using XP to handle some of my
work. Seriously, i think the "range of variety catering to all
possible needs" is a little too much.
Have saw some preview of Vista, i will save the money up and
stay put with XP Pro instead.
1. Simply because it is going to cost a bomb to have the features
i am running right now with my XP Pro should i upgrade to Vista
Ultimate (sounds like this is the suitable one for me out of the
rest, Business and Enterprise sounds way too un-affordable for
my personal usage).
2. Nothing much interesting than Tiger i am running as
compared to the graphical department of both. What Vista
preview have offer me is a look that i was being offered by
Apple in year 2001, or rather 2002 with Quartz Extreme in Mac
OS 10.2 release. Some of the UI in Vista were also being
mentioned to be awefully similar to what Apple has offer as well.
Eye candy? Guess not.
3. How secure will this version of Windows be? While speculation
of increasing malwares for Mac platform is all over, i still save up
quite a handsome sum of money without the need of buying
Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware and other Anti as well. My system is
suppose to perform as good as the spec i brought from the
store instead of having a roll of applications taskbar launch
hogging my memory that i i dearly pay for and bring the
performance down for the sake of getting a "better coverage".
Pardon me if i sound like i am bashing Windows which i am not.
Questions like this surface every moment in an I.T Tech Support
guy like me who is supporting over 1000 Windows users.
Frankly, i have to thanks Microsoft simply because... Windows
give me a job to troubleshoot. I cannot imagine how bored am i
supporting a lab of Macintosh simply because it do not give
problem as frequent as Window.
End of my 2 cents worth of thoughts.
- Apple/Linux arguement not relevant here...
- by Source00 February 27, 2006 11:01 AM PST
- C'mon folks... this isn't about which OS is better, it's about Microsoft's marketing strategy. I agree it stinks because, like with XP they are going after incremental revenue, in other words they are betting everyone will eventually upgrade to Ultimate and they will get to charge you 2-3 times for the same OS. That's one small reason they rule the world. It sucks and it's semi-evil... but if you don't like it, try to survive in the working world without it.
- Like this Reply to this comment
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Showing 1 of 3 pages (143 Comments)Until Apple comes out with a real media center solution (which, of course, will require a full system upgrade and all new hardware because that's the way Apple likes to stick it to ya) and/or Linux starts getting more consumer acceptance (without requiring a Masters degree in info systems and the time/interest required to find usable software), this is what we are stuck with. We made them successful, now we have to live with them. I have 5 OS' running at home (Apple, Linux, IRIX and Windows (2K & XP)) and sadly, because the other's can't currently meet all of my needs, I primarily work on my Windows boxes. If it was totally up to me (and don't fool yourself, it's not totally up to me), I'd go with Linux.