Andre Yoskowitz
3 Feb 2009 15:17
Although they have been criticized for offering Windows Vista in far too many versions, Microsoft has confirmed that the upcoming Windows 7 will come in five different versions, with the company "focusing" on two.
The different versions of Windows 7 will be, Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate. The company did note that "Home Basic" would only be sold in emerging markets however.
"We're going to focus on two versions," noted Microsoft Senior Vice President Bill Veghte. Veghte added he expected the Home Premium and Professional versions to account for 80 percent of Windows 7 sales.
The Starter version will be "severely limited" and will most likely only be sold in emerging markets as well or to those who simply want a cheap OS. The crippled version will have screen resolution limitations, processor limitations, and will only be able to have three applications running at the same time.
Cnet also adds that upgrading will be much easier this time around and "Windows 7, despite its many versions, will actually come as a single piece of code, or image. That means all the features will come loaded onto a Windows 7 PC, ready to be unlocked with an upgrade product key."
A functional beta of Windows 7 has been available from the company since early last month.