Ready to 
Six SKUs on deck for Windows 7
Robert Hallock
February 4, 2009 1:01 PM ET in Tech
Microsoft has ended speculation regarding Windows 7’s iterations by announcing that there will be six separate editions of the new operating system.
Microsoft is anchoring their new product strategy to the Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional editions. Virtually identical to Windows XP Home and Windows XP Professional value propositions, these two SKUs will comprise the majority of all OEM sales conducted in retail channels. Like XP Home, 7 Home Premium’s most glaring omission is the lack of domain support. This alone will tip many collegiate students and network administrators in favor of Professional, as was the case with XP. With the addition of domain joins, 7 Pro’s biggest additions come in the form of EFS, presentation mode, and the mobility center.
For individuals who simply must have the very best, a Windows 7 Ultimate edition is in the works, though it is destined for limited availability. You can expect this SKU to arrive on crème de la crème rigs from the likes of Voodoo/HP, Falcon Northwest, or exceptionally high-end Dell XPS models. Despite its enthusiast value proposition, this edition actually offers little in the way of compelling new features. Drive encryption, app encryption, branch cache, and direct access are probably of menial value to the hardcore amongst us.
A Windows 7 Enterprise edition is also planned. It is identical to Windows 7 Ultimate, except for the addition of volume licensing. Volume licensing allows administrators to purchase a single key for a large, or unlimited number of Windows installations. The infamous FCKGW-RHQQ2 key for the DEVILS0WN edition of Windows XP was a volume licensed edition of Windows.
Other editions include Windows 7 Home Basic and Windows 7 Starter, both of which may never see the light of day in the US, EU or Canada. These feature-light versions of Windows 7 are being specifically positioned to cater to slightly varied pricepoints in emerging markets. Windows 7 Starter edition, for example, can only run three concurrent applications.
All versions are to ship on the same DVD, meaning that each expected SKU will have their own unique subset of the Windows 7 serial number. Users looking to upgrade their version will no longer require the special upgrade DVD as was the case with Vista.
“SIX VERSIONS? OMG WHY‽“
While Microsoft has indeed spun six separate versions of Windows, an overwhelming majority of the customers will only be presented the choice between Home Premium and Professional. Enthusiasts, students, businesses, academia and administrators are best fitted with Windows 7 Professional, while your average residential customer will be just fine with Home Premium.
In fact, we’re going to go out on a limb and say that Windows 7 Ultimate may only appear in retail on that bizarrely out of place boutique rig that sits at the very end of a far-off shelf in some Best Buys. You know the machine we’re talking about. It’s the one customers are drawn to until their $800 PC world view is shattered by the $2000 monolith that would teach a monkey the value of weapons if it could.
The convenient summary table™
Hopefully Microsoft’s new approach to the two-sizes-no-longer-fits-all mentality brewed with Vista will ease much of the confusion that consumed Vista in its formative days. As customers must only choose between two primary versions, your local salesman (hell, most enthusiasts) will be in a better place to suggest a version appropriate for a user.
Special thanks to Icrontic member Dustin Sier for prelimary information and findings.
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