[dayglored]

Have you seen that there will be SIX Win7 SKUs?

1. Enterprise -- all features, for large companies
2. Ultimate -- all features, for individuals
3. Professional -- some features missing
4. Home Premium -- more features missing
5. Home Basic -- most features missing, no Aero, previous low-water mark for Vista
6. Starter Edition -- nearly everything missing, can only launch 3 application MAX.

And the punchline is that Win7 is supposed to run on "netbooks", right? Well guess which SKU is targeted specifically at Netbooks?

You guessed it -- "Starter Edition". What a crock. "Cheap but useless."

By comparison, the one-and-only SKU, full-featured version of OS-X sells for $129, or $199 in 5-user family-packs. Even at $129, full-feature OS-X is less expensive than Win7 Home Basic.

Reference: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/02/04/windows_7_skus/

[RepublitarianRoger2]

Pretty much identical to the Vista versions.

[dayglored]

Clarification:

> ...Even at $129, full-feature OS-X is less expensive than Win7 Home Basic.

Assuming Win7 is priced about like Vista was.

[antiRepublicrat]

Where's the "Not this crap again" graphic? Looks like Microsoft's programming team may have gotten itself in order, but its marketing department remains clueless. To paraphrase a Jobs joke, OS X Snow Leopard will have the following versions:

• Enterprise -- $129
• Ultimate -- $129
• Professional -- $129
• Home Premium -- $129
• Home Basic -- $129
• Starter Edition -- $129

Each version will have the full feature set. We think you'll pick "Enterprise" or "Ultimate."

[TV Dinners]

lol... the OSX comparision...

I can buy a 299.99 laptop (from multiple hardware vendors mind you) with windows.... by the time windows7 is ready, same laptop will be 249.99...
find me a Mac notebook that is 299.99 and I’ll by another copy of OSX just for back up...
fwiw.. I have OSX 10.5 running on a 4 year old dell d600... works pretty well, nice OS... seems rediculous to pay such a premium for the hardware... what’s Apple scared of, supporting more than 2 chipset configs?

[JSteff]

“the one-and-only SKU, full-featured version of OS-X sells for $129”

Yeah but that is the license for one year and only after you send Steve pictures of you wife with an iPod in the bath tub.

[MediaMole]

There has been a “starter edition” since XP.

It is only available in emerging markets. Starter Edition is a very cheap version designed to reduce piracy in the third world.

These Skus are all identical to Vista. There is nothing new here. Microsoft haters are just trying to stir up controversy where none exists.