Microsoft Explains Windows 7 SKUs

Submitted by lalit on February 5, 2009 - 12:43pm.

Microsoft has posted a closer look at Windows 7 SKUs on The Windows Blog, to explain you “exactly which edition of Windows 7 is right for you and help you understand how we approached addressing the large amount of feedback we received.
According to Microsoft the SKUs are based on feedbacks from the customers and addresses the following:

  1. Customers wanted clarity on which version of windows is right version for them. So… Windows 7 will be offered primarily in 2 editions: Windows 7 Home Premium and Windows 7 Professional.
  2. Customers wanted upgrading to a different SKU to be easier. So… for Window 7, we are using a single image for all SKUs. This means the bits for all the editions are already on your computer f you are running Windows 7. With Windows Anytime Upgrade, users can unlock and upgrade to a different SKU much easier than before.
  3. Customers did not like losing features when upgrading to a different SKU. So… in Windows 7, each SKU is a superset of the previous SKU. No features are lost on upgrade.
  4. One size does not fit all – particularly with a billion users and thousands of partners around the world. So… we are addressing the specialized needs for customers in specific market with Windows 7 Starter, Windows 7 Home Basic, and Windows 7 Enterprise.

We can understand the need for more than one SKU for Windows 7, but six different versions… So Home Premium is designed for consumer, whereas the Professional is designed for enthusiasts and small business and Enterprise version is designed for advanced security and manageability capabilities required by IT. Why do we need Starter or Home Basic, and why can’t the Professional be the Ultimate version?
Whatever Microsoft may say, but it is very clear that they want users to upgrade, by letting them know that some features are missing from their OS, as most computers will ship with either Home Basic or Premium version.