“Microsoft Corp. plans six core offerings of its upcoming Windows Vista operating system, targeting how people use computers instead of PC hardware specifications, the company said Monday,” Reuters reports. “The world’s largest software maker plans three offerings aimed at consumers, two at business users and a stripped-down edition for emerging markets… The company, which accidentally posted some details of the Vista product lineup on one of its Web sites earlier in the month, has promised that Vista will feature improved security, simplified search across the desktop and a cleaner interface… Microsoft will also offer a version of Vista Home Basic and Vista Business without a Windows Media Player in Europe to comply with European Union antitrust rulings.”
“We’re delivering the exact same number of offerings as in Windows XP, but the big difference is that each of those offerings are targeted differently with a different set of features,” said Barry Goffe, director of Microsoft’s Windows client product marketing,” Reuters reports.
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take:
Ballmer: How come only three versions, Barry? As with everything, food, dancing, hair, you name it, more is better. Make it six versions. I can sell that.
Goffe: Okay boss. I’ll make it the exact same as Windows XP, but with the big difference of it not being exactly the same, but targeted to the same differently-defined targets with the exact same features, but the big difference is that each feature will feature differently-targeted feature sets. Then we’ll just market the shit out of it.
Ballmer: Makes perfect sense to me. Thank God that 50% of the world is below average and that 35% of the rest are too lazy to care.
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you were trying to say something…??
how do YOU like them?
Chill people. I am a human, “actual and whole” – made of flesh and bone, saliva and sperm.
I have been using Macs since the 128k and have NEVER purchased a windows (or DOS) computer. But I have kids. And my kids like games. Their evil step-dad is a Wintel guy and frankly, I can’t compete. Sure, I’d love to see the more games companies release equal and simultaneous for the Mac. I grieved when MSFT bought bungie, and still purchased three copies of Halo/Mac when it was released. But we also spent dozens of wasted hours trying to get Windows games running under Virtual PC with acceptable performance (even loading it as a proxy “Finder” under OS 9.) But that was on my PMG4. And as far as I know VPC was never updated for the G5 (ISTR Big vs. Little Endian something or other…)
Sure I could *buy* a gaming PC, but that would defeat the purpose.
Anyway, I just sold both of our 12″ PowerBook G4’s and plan to get MacBooks (or whatever the Intel iBooks are called when released.) I suppose Virtual PC will do what I want. But I’ll still need a Windows to run under it, and my point remains: All I want is a lean Windows for gaming. So I can impress the young ones.
Let sell six versions so we can charge an arm and a leg for the one that may actually work which would be the enterprise version. Which I’m sure will cost like $2000.00 a copy.
What a scam!
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Hmmmm, so the shell game has been beefed up to include six shells. The sick part is there is no winner under any of them.
MDN, do you have a double standard? do you really edit some cussing (librium’s post) yet cuss yourselves? i wish i could understand.
but my cussing was BAD cussing, shit on the other hand is not a cuss
6 versions x 6 years of development for each = 36 years.
Vista should be fully ready on April 1, 2042.
Windows Vista Ultimate is a big bloated pig (at least as of Feb CTP v5308). It takes over 512MB ram just to boot on a fresh install with nothing else installed, and uses over 768MB after using it just a short time (with no apps open). It also takes over 6.5GB without counting its swap or hibernation file. It has reduced my poor 3GHz 512MB laptop to a swapping heap. The one positive aspect is it will lead to boosted minimum specs of PCs come this fall.
This is such a scam. Someone explain to me why the hell Microsoft can’t just sell one OS at one price like Apple does. Microsoft is artificially enhancing revenue by selling these stripped-down versions. It doesn’t cost them any more to stamp a CD with the full package than it does to make one with Vista Grandma’s Email edition. The cheaper editions simply serve as justification for the overpricing on the high-end editions.
(Yes, Apple sells a “server” edition, but the only difference is the licensing and some software designed to make network management simpler. All the functionality of OSX Server is available in plain-vanilla OSX; the standard edition just doesn’t include the pretty interface to that functionality.)
I can hear now M$’s tech support people in India asking “Vich version Vista vou vusing?”
Absolutely nothing against Indian people, but it is a fact that their accent is very difficult to understand.
6 versions is insane!
It used to be “Less is more.” Now, for Microsoft it is now “More is less.”
Brilliant! This will undoubtably confuse and befuddle the writers of malware. Look out, you villians, Microsoft’s plan of presenting six moving targets will defy all your nefarious attempts.
I can see perhaps versions for business that support multiple processors or something. But there should be only ONE consumer edition. Use the K.I.S.S. method Microsoft. It creates confusion. Why not offer other features as add-ons or something, which you can buy later?
Imagine how to support all these different versions, on different hardware, etc. What a nightmare.
If supporting Windows is a challenge *now*, imagine trying to keep straight what is and isn’t typical in SIX different versions.
The consumers are the ones who will suffer since MS is so bad at explaining what is and isn’t included in each version.
It’s bad enough now with just the Home and Pro Editions.
Thank god I’m a MacOS user!
Microsoft will offer six versions of Vista, yet they havent got version one out the door yet. Amazing!
Still, once they’re all out, there’ll be plenty of career opportunites for IT Consultants.
Unfortunately, what they really need is a seventh version …. one that actually works!
LordRobin,
Also, OS X only allows up to 10 connections (either AFP or SMB) onto one Mac, whereas OS X Server allows unlimited connections.
Makes sense to me. OS X (whatever flavour) kicks a$$!
Windows Vista – Hasta La Vista.