Um, Starter and Home Basic were created to fulfill legal obligations Microsoft has in Europe. Enterprise is volume key only, no consumers will have the ability to buy it.

So that really leaves Home Premium, Professional and Ultimate for consumers to consider. This is a significant reduction in editions, even from XP which had Home and Pro, but also tablet edition, and media center, and a couple of other smaller editions. (which will all be rolled up into Ultimate, and some into Pro iirc)

But please, by all means, don’t let anything measly like facts stand in your way.

@cirisme I was comparing W7 to Vista not XP, but don’t let a little thing like that fact get in your way by all means.

As far as leaving Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate, I never disputed that, and since I cannot quote articles in full but give the link, the linked article makes that very point. However, the main thrust is that Microsoft hasn’t learned its lesson that such needlessly complicates things, now matter how clear it might seem to you and me, it is not clear to Joe Consumer, and that they should simplify the process.

BTW, when you get a chance, I need to talk to you about a TWeb problem, we are being descended upon by hordes of spammers. Literally dozens at a time.

See what you have driven me too Dizzle????

I have to hang out on an apple blog because of the banning auction at tweb.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

it was more of a scream of frustration and doom.

“And apparently I am in good company as engadget was only one of multiple blogs I could have chose to link to, most of them not mindless Apple blogs

Most blogs are mindless, though.

Oh and seriously, forget about W7 for one sec and go read Ronnestam’s piece. It is seriously good. I certainly wasn’t kidding about that one either, but there was nothing outlandish in it, but pretty factual analysis of Apple’s success in branding. I don’t rave over many posts or include them in my new important articles list, but this one I did. Not only the content is good, but the layout is as well with the subtitles and the images. Very well-executed. I don’t want his excellent work to get lost in the mire of W7 versions

Glenn said in a few words what I am going to say in many. Here is reality, Vista was a public relations nightmare. No one but the most deluded denies that. Most people also think it was a technical nightmare until SP1. Even Paul Thurott (my equivalent of fanboi in the Windows world) admitted it was a failure. So Microsoft has let its brand be trashed. (Thus the article on branding in this article I am raving about is even more pertinent.) Microsoft needs to fix this gushing artery. In fixing it, it needs not only to fix real problems, but perceived ones. The consuming public, not tech people, found the many versions confusing. It doesn’t matter if when you sensibly sit down and consider them that they are not all that confusing, that is what the consuming public felt and thought. Apple’s Vista spin-a-wheel ad capitalized on that already existing perception. It is a complete “didn’t learn their lesson” to commit the same perceived mistake.

However, I believe it is more than a perceived mistake (though that is all I need to prove to prove that Microsoft didn’t learn its lesson). And I believe that if someone is going to deny that it was at least a perceived mistake, I can’t help them get in touch with reality. Now as far as it being an actual mistake, Apple capitalized on that as well. People don’t want to feel like they get the Dollar Store version while others got the “Ultimate” version. It is a real mistake to make different class eschalons of home users. That is a great strength of OS X. One version to rule them all. No one is ever feeling like they got the crappier version and should have gotten the full one or like they got ripped off and should have gotten the lesser version. Remove the confusion. Simplify the process. Apple has proven that is a successful business model, and Microsoft simply doesn’t adapt well to a changing consumer public.

It isn’t just Apple picking up on the perception and mocking Microsoft, here is a Joy of Tech comic:

http://www.joyoftech.com/joyoftech/joyarchives/915.html

It is funny because it contains the germ of truth.

Here are just a few examples from Joe Consumer on Vista:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20081016140729AAH19J1

http://blogs.technet.com/james/archive/2007/03/14/did-you-buy-the-wrong-version-of-vista.aspx

http://www.antionline.com/showthread.php?t=271104

This blog also makes some great points. This opinion is reverberating everywhere.

I saw a posting on Tom’s Hardware site where they had pulled a screenshot of the Windows 7 install options, showing 5 different versions. There was a starter, home basic, home premium, business, and ultimate edition. Clearly Microsoft did not learn anything from their last product release, when they introduced a similar number of products that many consumers found confusing. It even became fodder for comics and for Apple’s advertising campaign – showing PC spinning the Wheel-of-Vista to decide which of the many versions he should buy. Since they have not learned that lesson of the past, perhaps they have learned about their poor pricing decisions from the Vista launch. While I have used Windows 7 and agree it is a vast improvement over XP and over Vista, it is not worth shelling out huge sums of money for. Vista ultimate sells for 319 dollars retail, home premium comes in at 259 and basic at 199. Knock about a hundred dollars off for the upgrade version. While Windows 7 may be good, it is not worth 300 dollars or even 200 dollars.

http://www.lockergnome.com/hackonia/2009/01/28/windows-7-to-have-confusing-product-matrix-just-like-vista/

The field is ripe for Apple to once again point out that there is one fully featured version of OS X for $129 that has more features or at least just as many as the $300 Windows version.

I know you respect Ars Technica. While they agree that the decision is analyzed rationally and you know your technology isn’t really that confusing this is a mistake on Microsoft’s part, they didn’t learn their lesson.

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/02/official-windows-7-skus-revealed-six-editions.ars

In fact Ars noted, as have many blogs treating this issue with detachment:

We weren’t crazy about the proliferation of Vista versions, so we have mixed feelings this time around. The Vista version differentiation is essentially a cash grab, and the same is true with Windows 7. We had hoped that with the new version, Microsoft might be a little less egregiously money-grabbing.

Ars points out that these version choices are an improvement over the Vista lineup. But what is needed is not an improvement but a radical change. Joe Consumer is not going to notice this one right step forward, and Apple will be sure that they won’t forget about it either.

The new SKUs are certainly an improvement over the Vista ones, and for that we should be grateful. It is gratifying that Microsoft has listened to the criticism of Vista’s versions and taken at least some of it on board. It’s still disappointing that the company still feels the need to so openly maximize its revenue; this is not behavior that breeds goodwill. A reversion to the XP launch line-up of Home and Professional would be far more palatable. Windows 7’s version line-up is certainly a step forward—but what we were really hoping for was an even bigger step backward.

Emphasis mine.

I think ars put too positive of a spin on it, even though they came out with a critical opinion. Here is what was said about Vista when it was released:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4754462.stm

Microsoft is planning six versions of the next incarnation of its Windows operating system.

Three versions of the software, called Vista, will be for home users, two will be for businesses and one will be for emerging markets

Sound familiar? Yes. It sounds like the W7 scheme, and consumers didn’t like that in Vista, and I doubt they will like it in W7.

Here is an analysis of Vista v. XP.

http://blogs.computerworld.com/number_of_xp_and_vista_versions

Vista arguably offered less versions, but public perception had changed along with its failure in other areas. The tiny step forward is not enough.

Now THAT is how Microsoft didn’t learn its lesson.

Now to a more general point. Even before I try the program, I have reasons to dislike W7, or more accurately, the Windows PC experience. Why? That article on branding explains why, especially with the sentence of how the “experience” of owning an Apple product begins with the box. My Mac delights me consistently with just little touches that shows care and thought was put into every single step. PC makers simply don’t do that, and Microsoft programs don’t do that. I was a computer user prior to getting a Mac. The computer was a mere tool. Now it is more. I went from being a user to being a delighted enthusiast. Windows never did that for me and that is reason enough for me to dislike Windows. It is all about the buck. While Apple certainly charges a lot, I say that they also show that they really really care about the tiniest details of the user experience. Is it perfect? No. But it is light years ahead of Windows. Windows may even get to the point of “it just works,” but I doubt it. Let’s say it does. It is not even close to the point of “it just works and delights you and you will fall in love with technology all over again.”

I regret the years I spent on Windows when I could have been on OS X. So yeah I will take pot shots, I don’t believe in their vision, values, or competence.

But with regards to the specific issue of them not learning their lesson, I believe I have proven my point. And an awful lot of people, including Windows fans, agree with me.

Yet another one on my radar:

http://www.edibleapple.com/why-a-simple-product-line-is-integral-to-apples-success/

It was reported today that Microsoft will be releasing 6 versions of Windows 7, and while the majority of consumers will realistically only be choosing between two of them, it helps highlight the difference between Apple’s approach to business, and that of other tech companies. Contrary to what they teach in business school, Apple has succeeded by limiting consumer choice, and Apple’s small product line-up has been a key factor in that success.
While other companies release an inordinate number of products in an attempt to satisfy every potential customer, Apple has kept its product line-up relatively streamlined in comparison. Not only does this make things less confusing for consumers, but it also helps consumers understand what they’re actually paying for.

When it comes to product offerings, Apple’s approach to business is a lot like that of a Basketball coach. Would you rather have a smaller team comprised of only 7 All-Stars, or a full 12 man roster with 1 All-Star, 2 above average players, 3 mediocre players, and 6 benchwarmers. The Dream Team wins every time, baby.

The whole article is worth reading.

And this is stupid, I have much work to do, and no interest in wasting anymore time on this. I’m glad you’re starting to think about things and analyze them critically instead of just parroting what is said in another blog. That is what bugs me about most blogs in general, and Apple ones (including yours) in particular. Everybody is too busy falling over themselves agreeing with each other to do any critical analysis.

There are nuances in everything and we probably agree more than we disagree on most issues. Don’t be a clueless user of anything.

Sorry but you once again totally missed the point.

How is 3 versions going to be confusing to consumers? We are talking about users who go to the store and will see three versions, not people who read technology articles.

The same way they were confused with Vista. The same ways I have already said above.

But that misses the point of the articles, and more particularly my point. You seem to have some vested interest in defending W7, and if you like the program, more power to you, but this isn’t about W7, but about MS’s strategy. Everyone is well aware of the bad rap Vista got for the multiple versions so they are primed to critical going in the gate. Doing the same or similar thing is not a good strategy to rehabilitate their brand image.

And the install thing is a beta only thing so you can test each version if you wanted. Consumers will go to the store and see three boxes at most: home, pro and ultimate. Most stores will probably only sell home or ultimate.

I don’t know what this comment was addressing. Perhaps a comment made in another article. You seem to fail to understand that my entire point is about how Microsoft hasn’t learned its lesson on how its brand tanked. The same boxes you describe are the same ones that were on display with Vista, yet people still got confused.

You pick the box, install it, and boom you’re done. There is LESS confusion in that process than there was with XP and its various versions. I think Microsoft has learned well.

They haven’t learned that people resonated to Apple’s ONE version. They don’t want the multiple versions, they have spoken loud and clear. Never mind the outrageous costs that were mentioned in the articles. This is about good will and brand rehabilitation.

And comparing Microsoft and Apple is just retarded. Apple, as you say yourself, has no interest in the enterprise market, so they do not have a “Pro” edition to sell.

Mentioning enterprise is just retarded. In my discussions I have focused on the consumer market, where they compete. If that was unclear, I hope that is clear now. I am focusing on the 3 or 4 versions depending on how you look at it. Apple doesn’t have a “Pro” version because its only version is its Pro version. That is what people want.

One of your articles said this:
“A reversion to the XP launch line-up of Home and Professional would be far more palatable. ”

I agree. And I would argue that they have done so, even better than XP. As I have repeatedly said ad naseum to which no one has replied.

Actually I did reply. I posted a quote about Vista, and asked “what does that sound like?” Oh yeah, that’s right, it sounds just like W7. The average consumer is not going to see things that way. We are dealing with perception and brand rehabilitation. Microsoft has proven to be incredibly bad at that. Not only with this decision but that whole ad campaign was a joke.

This is however the most-commented on article. Maybe we should argue some more, it gives me an ego-boost to have a lot of comments

j/k

though I am not kidding about iTunes comments. I totally am like a kid at Christmas with those. You know I consider turning off comments at all my blogs because I am kinda like when I am done with an article, I am done and moved on. You should have seen the joker we had at pretblog today pretending to be something he wasn’t. If Roderick wasn’t writing there with me, I would turn off comments. I don’t have time for them for the most part. I made time for this one because I think the point is important, and I am absolutely convinced I am right.

You keep arguing about something I am not arguing about.

Bullshit. Complete bullshit. There is no Pro equivalent of OS X. Or Linux. Do not comment on things you do not know about.

Microsoft OWNS the business market. Completely. There is absolutely nothing else like it anywhere else on the market. From Active Directory integration, to Bitlocker full drive encryption (with bios and smart card authentication to AD AND key backup… bitlocker kicks ass), to management, etc.

You keep bringing in enterprise. I specifically said I was not. BUT for the businesses that run OS X they use the same version. You can argue that it is inferior, but that does not negate my point that there is ONE version with ALL the features. Any feature that would be a PRO feature is in ONE version.

I am a bit tired of you telling me that I don’t know something about anything that has to do with technology. Just because you are more generally educated does not mean that I cannot be right as against you on a specific point. I am absolutely informed about the aspect that I am speaking about. You keep broadening it, and that is not my fault.

But I just found out that Ultimate will have very limited availability. I don’t think we know yet what form that will take, but if that’s true, that means there are only two versions to choose from in most cases:

Home and Pro.

That makes it even worse, it is astonishing to me that you can’t see it. Consumers want ONE version. What is so incomprehensible about that point? Vista ruined a scheme that might have been fine in the XP days, but we aren’t in Kansas any longer. And if Ultimate has very limited availability, it creates even more classism for the poor peons who would like to be “ultimate” but only end up with “basic.”

One of MS’ best decisions was to include Media Center in every version of Vista. They should have taken that all the way. ONE consumer version.

This is EXACTLY the same licensing visible to consumers as XP. Exactly. Your original contention was that they didn’t learn their lessons from Vista. Well, it looks to me like they have, they have reverted to the retail licensing they had for XP. So now you’re moving the goal posts and saying “well, it’s not as good as being as simple as having one version.” Maybe, but that’s irrelevant since that wasn’t your claim. (and because Apple really only caters to one homogeneous market and doesn’t have any interest in catering to the other markets)

See above. And yes that was my claim. They have to cope with post-Vista fall-out.

I don’t think you know what “vested interest” means. I would have a vested interest in Win7 if I benefited in some way from its success. I don’t. I’m not a MSFT stock owner, and if it fails or succeeds, it wouldn’t affect me at all one way or another. So this was a very bizarre thing to say.

Oh once again there is something I must be stupid about and not know what a common phrase means. Rather than assuming I didn’t know what it means, you could have thought how I was applying it. Even if you did have stock, you certainly don’t have enough to make you rich. I meant vested interest emotionally. You have been on me quite a bit (at least from my perception) about W7 and to jump on any comment I make. Okay I get it. You don’t like that I have become an Apple fangirl. Rather than getting into scuffles over it, let’s just avoid the subject. It isn’t worth silly fights with you thinking I am saying BS, and me thinking you are patronizing me. I am not as think as you dumb I am.

That’s not really how you pitched it to me when you asked me to contribute. I dunno. I guess that’s what chaps me the most. Having my old posts associated with crap like this is just embarrassing. That was probably my misunderstanding though. It still really irritates me though. Maybe one of these days I will just delete those posts, if that’s ok with you. It would make me feel a lot better, I know.

I am not going to argue recollections. Since most of our conversations are text, that medium is ripe for misunderstanding. My intent was always to have some articles of substance, which I do have. But not entirely. For Pete’s sake the blog is called i drank the kool-aid, does that sound like an balanced serious name? The footer has always had the same comment. I have always had a page with Vista that has a picture of a hooker. I have the Book of Jobs. Does any of that give an indication of being a balanced, unbiased blog? You know one of my main motivations was to have a place to express this side of myself without pissing off everyone at theologyweb. So I post most of my stuff here that is fangirl stuff.

You may certainly delete your posts. They are your property to do with as you wish. You don’t need my permission to do that.

You are not arguing the same point I am. The lesson they didn’t learn is that the public is completely prejudiced, right or wrong, against the multiple version scheme. They have to do some MAJOR brand rehabilitation. Having multiple versions is NOT a good sign for THAT goal. Ars Technica, which had a pretty pro-MS spin in the article argued that very point. MS has to show that it has listened to its customers and give shows of good will. We can’t pretend like Vista never existed and use the customer attitude’s in XP-land. That world is gone. The landscape has changed. You disagree, fine. You disagree then with nearly every tech blog that has written on the subject. It may very well be true that you are one of the lone persons that are right. But usually when I find myself in the very small crowd, I seriously reexamine my point of view.

All that is being talked about is rescuing its public image post-Vista. In the multiple versions issue they did not learn. You may think you have presented an argument against that. I don’t. I believe the point is so obvious that it is astounding that anyone would disagree.

You may have the last word and then I am going to close the comments. This is way beyond the intent of light-hearted satirical posts. But I don’t think it is fair when any blog owner closes after their own comment, so you for sure may have the last word or maybe someone else wants to comment.

And for what it’s worth, I’ve always regarded OS as the Pro version – or at any rate, as pro as OS is going to get.

All that means is that the one version includes all of OS’s features, and you don’t need a more expensive version than the regular one to get those features. It does NOT mean that “this version has every single feature and will be used in exactly the same way as a version of Windows that is called Pro.”