While Microsoft has enjoyed fairly positive press after recently revealing various facets and features related to its upcoming Windows 7 operating system (OS), potential marketing headaches and consumer confusion could be on the horizon thanks to the prospect of multiple platform variants.
Microsoft set to ape Vista in offering multiple versions of Windows 7. Image: Concept.
Moreover, much as it did with Windows Vista, the Redmond-based software behemoth has confirmed it will be offering Windows 7 in a total of six versions tailored for different user needs – which is two more than it did with Vista.
The two core Windows 7 packages expected to arrive in January of 2010 will focus on personal and business usage and will be labelled (unsurprisingly) as Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional.
However, Microsoft has also said it will offer PC manufacturers the (cheaper) choice of pre-installing one of two slightly more restricted OS editions in Windows 7 Home Basic or Windows 7 Starter.
With both lower-tier versions stripped of the aesthetic bells and whistles attributed to Windows 7 (which is built on Vista’s foundations), the Home Basic edition is being touted as a focal point for developing nations, while the Starter package will be available globally.
At the other end of the scale, Microsoft will also be offering a Windows 7 Enterprise edition to better suit the needs of major corporate customers, while more demanding home-based users will also be given a performance and security-based edge thanks to Windows 7 Ultimate.
Given the confusion and complaints emerging from Vista customers who purchased Home Basic without knowing it did not include the platform’s advanced Aero interface, Microsoft has said more clear-cut marketing for Windows 7 should “make these [edition] choices as simple and clear as possible for customers and [PC] partners.”
Beyond Home Basic complaints concerning the lack of Vista’s much-vaunted interface, Microsoft also found itself in legal hot water with its latest OS thanks to a class action lawsuit regarding newly bought computer systems.
These systems, while pre-installed with Windows XP, were tagged with Vista Ready/Capable labelling. However, consumers once again took umbridge with Microsoft after it came to light that many systems lacked the necessary processing power to handle an upgrade to the likes of Home Premium or Ultimate.
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