Windows 7 to have confusing product matrix, just like Vista
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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. If Microsoft wants to win back the hearts and minds of those customers who were put off by the myriad of Vista versions and the insane pricing they need to try and follow the lead of their main rival and put out their ultimate version for 129 dollars. Home premium and business could go for 99 each, basic for 79 and the starter edition should really only be available in developing nations. These prices should be for the full version, with the ability to upgrade from the disc without having to buy a separate version. It is just silly to have 5 versions of an operating system and then to have an upgrade and a full version of each version, making 10 total packages. It would also make it easier on the retailers that have to keep these products in stock.
3 Comments
Windows 7 to have confusing product matrix, just like Vista … - attopbusiness
January 28th, 2009
at 5:05pm
[...] 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 .. Read more [...]
Greene Consulting
January 29th, 2009
at 5:04pm
WHY? they turn off all the junk and make it faster and workable and they want to kill it by over building it with 5 to 6 versions? MS has not learn anything! They don’t think the need to they want us to learn they will give us what they think is right till some really slaps them hard.
I wonder if everyone gave win 7 a bad rating what they would do? still let out? add more junk ? PLEASE MS NO MORE just let this one out in Home and ultimate edition. there is no need for 3 or 4 or even 6 version of an OS.
I mean look at the manuals and book out just for XP then look just for Vista.. there are way to many and it makes it harder on techs to get out and fix people systems if they are running Vista to many versions and to many people writing fix it books and none of them the same on how to fix a problem.
This does not bid well for the market as business people do no like having to figure out an OS matrix that may leave them out on some app or give them too many as well.
GC
Isaac Taylor
March 10th, 2009
at 5:59pm
Clearly Microsoft has not learned from the Vista Incident. It seems logical to me to have one version for home users and one version for businesses.
Why should there be three different versions designed for home users? Can’t we just include all those features in one neat package. I would think so.
Businesses need special tools and applications in order to maximise productivity and ease-of-use. Too much time is wasted on IT and the like, which is simply ridiculous.
However, what about education? Edubuntu is a distribution of Linux that is designed for schools and other education facilities. Microsoft needs to focus on building an operating system that has many cool tools and features that will benefit teachers and students, and is still very appealing to them.
Also, the Windows install process needs to be more customized like the DOS-based versions of Windows. There is no excuse for cutting personalization in the install process. If they could do it then, they can surely do it now.
*As an afterthought, why doesn’t Microsoft include Office in Windows? I think it would be great if they did!