Microsoft today announced that the forthcoming version of its operating system, Microsoft Windows 7, would come in just one single version, despite rumors that there would be five versions of the software.
The operating system will simply be called "Windows 7." The company found that offering multiple versions of Windows Vista confused customers, and generated what the company calls "unnecessary customer dissatisfaction." According to a study conducted by Microsoft, buyers of Vista Home Premium reported feeling that they were overcharged, while those purchasing Home Basic felt like they could be missing out on valuable features.
More importantly, however, the policy of multiple OS versions generated a lot of confusion. When asked to explain the differences between versions, only 3% of potential Vista buyers were able to do so. The multiple versions of Vista contributed to a public perception that, compared to Apple's Mac OS X, Vista was a "confusing, disjointed, bloated piece of crap that nobody could love" and that Microsoft was interested only in "squeezing every possible nickel out of every customer." Offering Windows 7 in just one version "is just common sense," said a Microsoft spokesman.
"Launching it in five versions could have compromised what would otherwise have been a very successful launch of a very important product." And that, he said.
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