God, this has to be one of the most unfair criticisms of MS. Plain trolling.
http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,2845,2340431,00.asp
Six versions of Windows 7? Why so many?
Well, technically, there could be more. Microsoft is still bound under a 2004 EU ruling to deliver an "N" version to the EU without Windows Media Player. Realistically, however, we would guess that a single Windows 7 "N" SKU will ship to EU customers, making it a total of seven.
But according to Microsoft, the new versions try to strike a balance between complexity and what customers will actually require.
"When you have a customer base of more than one billion, two options can't satisfy all of their varied needs," according to Microsoft. "For that reason, we will continue to offer a few targeted SKUs for customers with specialized needs: For price-sensitive customers with small notebook PCs, some OEMs will offer Windows 7 Starter. For customers in emerging markets, we will make Windows 7 Home Basic available.
Businesses have two recommended choices: Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise. Windows 7 Professional is recommended for small businesses and Windows 7 Enterprise is recommended for mid- and large-sized businesses that have a Software Assurance Agreement with Microsoft."
So what versions will I able to buy in a store?
Consumers will only be able to buy either Windows 7 Home Premium or Windows 7 Professional at retail—and deliberately so; Microsoft wants to try and limit consumer confusion by only putting the two versions in front of consumers.
Windows 7 Ultimate will be included on both discs, but will require a user to go through the upgrade process, either online or offline, to access them.
Except for Windows 7 Starter, each version will be available in either a 32-bit or 64-bit version.
It should also be noted that Microsoft sees the progression as a good-better-best scenario: Home Basic is better than Starter, and Home Premium is better than Home Basic. Windows 7 Professional is positioned as a step up from Home Premium, and the Enterprise and Ultimate editions are the premium Windows 7 offerings.
