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Microsoft Confirms 6 Versions of Vista

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the this-is-getting-complicated-fast dept.

Darthmalt writes "The BBC has a story confirming that there will be 6 versions of Vista. They are Vista Business, Vista Enterprise, Vista Home Basic, Vista Home Premium, Vista Ultimate, Vista Starter. Also included are some of the differences between each version."

13 of 524 comments (clear)

  1. Translation by Ckwop · · Score: 3, Interesting

    "We don't want customers to be forced into buying something that isn't going to meet all their needs," said Barry Goffe, Microsoft's director of Windows client product management.

    Translation: We understand from psychology that people can only make effective, informed decisions when the number of choices is low, typically around six. We understand that one of the principles of building is a successful company is to segment your market according to their willingness to pay. Hence, I propose we offer six versions of Vista, each priced differently, each with a clear difference in feature set so that we can effectively capture our consumer surplus without our customers being constrained by the tyranny of choice.

    Simon.

    1. Re:Translation by jimicus · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So just give them something that has everything and don't put stupid limitations in that don't need to be there. Don't put theses stupid limitations like Maximum memory, maximum processors, maximum connections to IIS.

      The kind of person who needs to go out and buy an 8-way box with 16 GB of RAM is probably happy to spend more money on the OS than the kind of person who goes out to buy a single-processor box with 512M of RAM. Thus, you do your bit as a socially-conscious company and help the person who is happy to part with more money do so.

    2. Re:Translation by Ucklak · · Score: 2, Interesting

      The danger (if you want to call it that) is that not only does the consumer have to pay attention (which is impossible) to the hardware, they have to pay attention to the software as well.

      A few weeks back I recommended that a small business I regularly consult for purchase a cheap system to replace a failing one. They asked 'does it matter what kind?' and I said really, the cheapest will do for your needs. I anticipated just a cheap Xp Home edition but there was a special for XP MCE that he bought.
      Needless to say, the software only works on XP home or Pro, not MCE (custom network print pricing application). I installed it just to try it and it wouldn't work. I really don't know why because I thought XP was XP (although the differences are known, this isn't on a domain model so it really shouldn't matter).

      What really disturbed me on this that I was under the impression that MCE was only to be sold on premium hardware with media capabilities, not a run of the mill cheap edition with no external video support. The system had media card readers and a DVDR but no external video support. It was the Sony RB50 that Fry's had for around $600.

      --
      if you steal from one source, that is plagiarism, if you steal from many, well, that's just research.
  2. Re:Microsoft will not fragment like linux by Spy+Handler · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Apparently you are not aware that XP already has 6 versions.

    XP Professional
    XP Home
    XP Media Center Edition
    XP Tablet PC
    XP Starter 3rd World edition
    XP Athlon 64 bit edition

  3. Tech Support by m1a1 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I used to do tech support. The "what operating system do you use" was already the question that created the most ridiculous answers. Sounds like that question just got a whole lot more fun.

  4. not the point by RMH101 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    the number of retail copies of XP sold, compared to the number shipped preinstalled on systems is pretty inconsequential. MS don't *have* to offer much beyond continued support and patches, some eye candy and an iron-clad OEM agreement with the PC manufacturers and it'll end up on millions of desktops by default.
    the real question is how much leverage will it put on new markets for them: mobile devices (activesync as core component, "plays for sure" tie-ins to MP3 players, windows mobile messaging integration into exchange server, media center and xbox 360 integration - if done successfully it'll leverage a whole load more of joe sixpack's home into the MS domain...

  5. Re:A nice vista for Microsoft by Parham · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You say it in a pretty easy-going way but this is something I'm actually considering. Windows doesn't do much for me; it's just an OS that can keep track of my files. The only thing that is Windows-specific for me is a) gaming and b) Microsoft Office. Both of these can however be taken care of with a) Wine and b) Open Office. As for as MSN messenger, there's aMSN. For MP3 playback, there's XMMS. I use Firefox now anyway also. So yes, when Visa does come out, I'll probably opt to go to Linux or some other open source operating system.

    The only hard part is finding a distro that best fits my needs. I've thought about doing it from scratch and customizing Linux myself, but that doesn't seem like such a good idea. Anyone recommend any Linux distributions which aren't cluttered and simple to use to add program to?

  6. GM marketing dept moved to Redmond by grumling · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Most people who have a choice will buy the cheapest option when it comes to electronics (I-POD being an exception, but it is a fashion accessory). This is because of the WallMart effect and commodity hardware/generic software.

    Because of this, MS is going to try to split out their market, much like GM did in the post WW2 era: Get poor and young people to buy cheap, no frills. As they advance up the economic ladder, upsell them to the higher end product. The core product is still the same (same engine, transimssion, even in many cases, the same body), but add on more/"better" options like leather seats, climate control, 8-track tape players, marketing, etc.

    The only problem with that model is when real competition shows up, you have to start adding the better options on to the low end cars to keep up with the competitor. At some point there is a knee to the curve and there is no difference at all between Cadilac and Chevy, except for the name plate, marketing and cost. This completely kills your most profitable market (high end) because the customer doesn't want to drive a Cadilac that looks exactly like a Chevy Cavalier, and they've long since moved on to something else.

    At some point the marketing department takes over the company and decides that they need a product that they can sell, not one that makes sense. Sadly, we are at that point now with the SUV (made worse by stupid laws that require fuel economy calculations to be an average of the fleet of cars and trucks instead of on a per-unit bassis). After all, when was the last time you saw an SUV ad that didn't feature at least one shot of the truck on some back road out in Montana with the perfect family at the campsite? Or a pickup ad with some cowboy roping steers out in West Texas (with his good friend the oil wildcatter, getting dirty out in the back 40)? Who wouldn't want that lifestyle? I sure would, and, apperently, so do most women aged 25-50 who can't park.

    I think this is why apple will be the next big deal, and some low end OS, written mostly in India or China will be the end of MS. Microsoft will be forced to compete on features with some low end OS that just beats them at there own game (HINT: It won't be Linux as we know it, but it may be something that is based on it, much like the Subaru boxer engine was a knock off of the VW*). This will piss off the high end, who will move to Apple, kill MS R&D's budget and MS will be the first major company to crash and burn in the infromation age. Remember: What's good for GM is good for America? That was said at a time when 60% of the cars on the road were GM built, and the biggest threat to them (as precieved at the time) was the Sherman Anti-trust Act. BTW- Microsoft will, after releasing Visa, will announce their biggest quarter ever. Buy your stock just before the release, and sell it 3-4 months after their biggest quarter ever. Don't look back, because they won't be around much longer after that.

    *Linux is the VW microbus of the software world: cheap, reliable software you can fix yourself. Just that you may end up going uphill in reverse since the reverse gear has much higher touque than first, but you know that already since you fixed the tranny yourself. Just know that thost people pointing and laughing wouln't know how great a vehicle you have, and yes, you are superior to them.

    --
    "Well, good luck finding a judge that doesn't run a bestiality site."
  7. Re:Server Platform by zantsuken · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Well said. I don't see any reason to upgrade either. Had MS done something interesting... perhaps, moved away from the registry paradigm, it may have received my interest.

  8. Doesn't Work That Way by NoData · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Actually this could backfire. Having multiple choices that are difficult to choose among drives people to alternatives. People are systematically irrational in this way. If somebody prefers A over B, then they should continue to prefer A over B even if choice C suddenly becomes available, right? Wrong. Often they will go to *B* is it's too hard to choose between A and C, and all three choices are close in value. A famous study illustrating this had people choose their compensation for participating in a quick study. They could choose between this fancy pen (told it was worth around, say, $5) and like $3 cash. People almost invariably took the pen. However, when other people were given their choice between two different but comparable pens, each worth around $5, and $3 cash, they just took the cash. They didn't have a good reason to pick one pen over the other (says one theory), or the cost of debating the choice was higher than their preference over the third alternative (says another theory), so they go for the neutral, third alternative. There have been many, many similar experimental examples.

    So, if people are stressed or stymied by having to choose among even two copies of Windows, much less six, and they have been at all flirting with an alternative option (i.e., another OS, or just don't bother upgrading at all), this could easily put them over the edge.

    (This comes for the reason-based choice work of Eldar Shafir and others)

    1. Re:Doesn't Work That Way by NoData · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Gullible people. I'd chose the cash...

      Yes, well, there is always variability in these things. And the reasons people give for their choices are often nothing like the actual reasons (See, famously, Nisbett and Wilson, 1977).

      Well, all depends on what they view as the "first choice to be made", and what as the "well-if-I-can't-make-up-my-mind-I'll-just-chose-x " choice.

      Yes, the context of a decision drives the perceived options. So, I understand your point about framing the decision as a choice between a flavor of Vista and another OS, with yet other Vista flavors as defaults, thereby leveraging the "alternative default" bias in MS's favor. And I admit this is an emprical question, and it's not clear how this will play out. However, I don't feel like the framing you suggest is parsimonious. The overwhelming prepotency when faced with a choice is not to choose at all. Indeed, all the time spent considering a choice is just a continuous series of decisions not to choose in time. The research, thinking, weighing that goes into the economic problem MS poses to its customers is itself a cost, in addition to the base cost of upgrading. The more complex MS makes this problem, the higher the cost. The first choice is whether this deliberation is itself cost effective or aversive. Furthermore, unlike the scenario you suggest, a novel choice is almost never seen as a default. Indeed, it's generally the status quo that is the default, or barring that, the choice that is most differentiated from the others.

      Furthermore, as I hinted before, many of the factors that drive these sorts of consumer decisions are implicit--not available to conscious examination. That is not to say that an elaborate explicit framework of reasoning won't be given by the chooser to explain their decision, but it's often not the actual determining factor. For example, people like Dan Gilbert and Barry Schwartz have shown many times that the more difficult a decision is, the more deliberation is required, the less satisfied people will be with their final choice, no matter what it is. This may be counterintuitive, because, given the choice, almost all of us would RATHER be given more options, more time to decide, more chances to "undo" our choices. But, the truth is, all these things leave people less pleased with the final outcome. Perhaps mainly because they've had all this opportunity to allow their imaginations to "own" the alternatives, and really scrutinize the shortcomings of their choice, making a lot of negatives and contrasts more salient than they might be if you just had to choose, had less time or options to choose from, and then had to live with the results.

      Point is, you can imagine more buyer's remorse with MS's plan. Did I buy more features than I need? Did I shortchange myself features that I will eventually use? If you wanted to be alarmist, you might even argue that this arrangement promotes piracy, as curious or disgruntled customers want to see "what they're missing" with other Vista flavors, or feel "justified" in pirating another flavor after having invested a sizable amount in some less satisfactory flavor.

  9. Re:A nice vista for Microsoft by Trelane · · Score: 2, Interesting
    I'd generally recommend Ubuntu or SuSE, with Ubuntu being the current favourite. IIRC, it has much more immediately available to it than SuSE does; installing some things (e.g. Java, Flash, madwifi (atheros wireless chip driver)) with SuSE can be somewhat of a pain, though much less so with the introduction of OpenSuSE (since they can link to repositories containing things that the Branded Distro cannot).

    The documentation on OpenSuSE is pretty helpful, though, so it's about a wash.

    --

    --
    Given enough personal experience, all stereotypes are shallow.
  10. Re:Server Platform by 70Bang · · Score: 2, Interesting



    I cannot cite stats (and wish I could), but in the case of Win2K, there's a lot of money sitting on the table. Aside from values such as Microsoft believes 1/3 of all Windows (versions) currently in use are warez or late beta copies, 1/3 of their revenues come from MS Office, now their ca$h cow.

    Right now, however, their greatest 1-2 punch is Marketing and Sales. And they are stymied. It's more than tens of thousands. I think it's into the hundreds of thousands of business|corporate seats of Huey, Dewey and Louie (Win2K, Office2K, VS6) and they have no intention of budging. Why should they? Aside from the fact the service ended with an SP4-rollup for Win2k, Win2K died June 30, '05. VS6 is be removed from D/L MSDN (if it hasn't been). If you were a bean counter crossbred with a techie, you wouldn't be tossing any more chips onto the table. The systems are stable. TCO is lower, lower, lower, and lowest with time. If you take a bite at the bait on Microsoft's hook, you'll have to spend tons 'o hardware, software, training, you name it. Stuff Microsoft and all of their cronies (towit: hardware for new workstations|PCs) will simply drool over.

    "Ducks on the Pond" may be a baseball term, but not for Microsoft. Those three are so tightly enmeshed Microsoft might have gotten something soft & fleshy caught in their collective zippers. They've presented their shrewder customers with no reason to upgrade and look back at Donald's nephew's in a scrapbook on running as a virtual machine for old-time's sake (like Microsoft Bob).

    This may be a case of Microsoft screwing up by doing better than they were expected to have. And it's costing them enough money to make $crooge McDuck blush.