Microsoft's Windows 7 has been the talk of the town since its arrival as a public beta earlier this month.
In just a matter of weeks, Windows 7 has already harnessed the kind of enthusiasm that Windows Vista never quite managed to secure over a period of two years. With many of us having put the beta to the test, we know almost everything there is to know about Windows 7 - except which SKUs to expect at retail.
Following the Vista trend, multiple Windows 7 editions have been hinted at and we'd expect Microsoft to continue the "one size doesn't fit all" strategy - it's a possible means of circumventing the European Commission, if nothing else.
Question is; just how many SKUs can we expect? Many have argued that Windows Vista's six-fold line-up is simply too confusing. At present, Microsoft has remained tight lipped on 7's transition to retail, but CNET UK claims the Redmond-giant has confirmed at least one edition that's specifically developed for netbook computers.
Another SKU appears to be exactly what the doctor didn't order, but it's no surprise to see Microsoft targeting the low-power netbook/nettop market. Similarly, 7's availability as a 32-bit or 64-bit operating system may be solely due to must-have support for Intel's 32-bit Atom processor.
There are plenty of existing opinions on how Microsoft should handle Windows 7 SKUs, ranging from "please only one edition, think of the children!" to "I don't need all that crap, FireFox edition please". Nonetheless, there's always room for more so we're chiming in on how we'd like to see Windows 7 arrive at retail. Here's our three-way line-up:
- Windows 7 Home (£49) - the standard version, suited to home users on any system. We've run Windows 7 Ultimate on a selection of netbooks and nettops and see little reason for a presumably dumbed-down netbook-specific release. Includes Media Centre.
- Windows 7 Business (£79) - the business version, adds enterprise-orientated features. Strips home goodies such as Media Centre.
- Windows 7 Ultimate (£99) - includes all the functionality of Home and Business editions, provides three licenses.
Simple, precise, and consumer friendly. We're being a little optimistic in our proposed pricing, of course, but we can always hope. How would you line up the Windows 7 SKUs? Share your thoughts in the HEXUS.community forums.
