Microsoft Keeping Windows 8 Versions to a Minimum
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5. Consider the upgrade policy
As
one might expect,
Microsoft won't force current customers to buy all new versions of Windows 8.
Instead, the company says current Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic and Home
Premium customers will be able to upgrade to Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.
Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Ultimate users will only be able to
upgrade to Windows 8 Pro. Windows RT comes with no upgrading support.
6. Remote Desktop isn't universal
Remote
Desktop support is arguably one of the most compelling features in Windows 8
for both tech enthusiasts and enterprise users. However, the option is not
universal. In fact, Microsoft says Remote Desktop (host) will only be available
in the Windows 8 Pro and Windows 8 Enterprise editions. Windows 8 and Windows 8
RT customers will be out of luck.
7. Simplicity reigns supreme
Remember
all of the versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7 that Microsoft launched over
the years? It was extremely difficult for customers to keep them straight. With
Windows 8, however, just four versions are available, and only two of them are
even available to consumers. It's a nice departure from the past, and it should
help Microsoft increase revenue.
8. Office comes with Windows RT (but no
others)
Surprisingly,
Microsoft will be preinstalling Office (including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and
OneNote) in Windows RT.
But in the standard Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro builds, that will not
happen. Microsoft doesn't say why it's bundling Office in Windows 8 RT, and
there's no word on how it might impact its Office-related revenue. But folks
using that platform should be quite pleased to see that they won't need to dole
out any more cash to get the productivity suite.
9. Windows RT will only come preinstalled
Although
customers can buy Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro and install them on their
computers at will, Windows 8 RT won't come with the same option. Instead,
Microsoft says that platform will be available solely as a preinstalled option
on tablets and other devices that might use it. Too bad.
10. We still don't have a price or release
date
Finally,
and perhaps most importantly to customers, we still don't know how much the
Windows 8 versions will cost nor when they will launch. In a blog post
announcing the versions, Microsoft said it plans to make more information
available "in the coming months." Until then, you can try out the
Consumer Preview of Windows 8 to
find out if it's right for you.
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