Microsoft on Tuesday announced plans to offer six versions of its Windows 7 operating system. But in an effort to make selecting the right version simpler, Microsoft recommends two primary editions: Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Home Professional.
The company said those two editions should meet the needs of most users. Microsoft will continue to offer other versions, including Home Basic, Starter, Enterprise and Ultimate.
“We’ve received great feedback from customers and partners through Windows XP and Windows Vista, and have learned a lot about how to communicate what’s available in different editions of the operating system,” said Windows General Manager Mike Ybrarra. “At the same time, we have a customer base of over one billion along with many partners, so it’s important to make sure the right edition of Windows with the right feature set is available for them.”
From Starter to Ultimate
Microsoft recommends Windows 7 Home Premium for consumers and Windows 7 Professional for small businesses and people who work at home but have to operate in an IT-managed or business environment where security and productivity are critical. For those running Windows Vista Business, Microsoft said Windows 7 Professional is a logical move.
“For our biggest enterprise customers, we’ll continue to have an Enterprise edition. And we will work to make sure there continues to be strong value in Enterprise edition for our annuity customers with software-assurance agreements,” Ybrarra said. “This edition will not be available at retail or by OEMs for preinstallation on a new PC.”
Microsoft said Windows 7 Enterprise will offer advanced data protection, lower cost compliance, and IT tools to streamline PC management and help save costs while enabling access to information from anywhere. On the other end of the spectrum, emerging markets don’t need such robust features. Microsoft will offer those consumers the Windows…