The Six Versions of Microsoft Windows Vista

Microsoft is panning on launching their latest and greatest operating system, Windows Vista in January. If you are one of the many people who want to use the great new features and see the fancy new graphics, you’re going to have a choice to make. When you walk into your local retailer to purchase a copy, you are going to have to make a choice between six different versions of Microsoft Windows Vista.

The first edition many in the United States might never see, which is Windows Vista Starter Edition and will be limited to emerging markets such as India, Russia, Brazil, Thailand, and Indonesia. In these countries piracy is very rampant, and Microsoft is trying to compete with piracy through its starter edition of Windows Vista which will be very inexpensive. It will have a significant number of limitations, for example users will only be able to run 3 applications simultaneously and only be able to use 256 MB of ram. It will also not run on high end processors and only support AMD’s Duron, Sempron, and Geode processors, and it will support Celeron and Pentium 3 processors from Intel.

Windows Vista Home Basic Edition is intended for budget users not requiring advanced media capabilities. This edition will not feature the advanced graphics package, “Aero”, and will retail for $199, and an upgrade version will costs $99.

The Vista Home Premium Edition is the next step up for home users. It will feature advanced media capabilities with things such as HDTV support and DVD authoring. The Home Premium version will also feature added games, support for tablet computers, and have photo management software. Unlike Home Basic, it will feature “Aero” graphics. Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium will retail for $239 and $159 for the upgrade version.