home basic

Now that the news of Windows 7 beta is starting to wind down, more details about Microsoft's next operating system are starting to become available. Juicy news on the wire this morning includes word that Windows 7 will ship in several different ... versions, much like its much-maligned predecessor. One of the big complaints against Windows Vista, released to the wider public in 2007, was that it came in too many different packages. The system was confusing for many, particularly those roped into buying Vista Home Basic , a skeletal version of the operating system that offered only a fraction of ... (view more)

Recently unsealed documents relating to the ongoing "Vista Capable" class-action lawsuit revealed that a group within Microsoft recommended in 2005 that the lowest-priced version of Windows Vista be released without the "Vista" name due to concerns ... over "user product expectations." The lawsuit claims that Microsoft misled consumers with its "Vista Capable" marketing program in the months leading up to the January 2007 release of Windows Vista. Part of the allegations in the lawsuit contend that Windows Vista Home Basic is not the "real" Vista because it lacks the ... (view more)

Late last week, a federal judge reportedly granted class-action status to a lawsuit alleging that Microsoft unjustly enriched itself by promoting PCs as "Windows Vista Capable", even when they could only run the "Vista Home Basic" version of the ... operating system. As an attempt by Microsoft to maintain sales of Windows XP computers during the 2006 holiday shopping season, the "Windows Vista Capable" slogan was emblazoned on PCs after the release of Windows Vista was delayed. At a hearing held two weeks ago, Microsoft lawyers argued that because each consumer who bought a computer labeled as " ... (view more)

Want a dirt-cheap version of Windows Vista? Move to China. Microsoft has posted an extremely low price for the new operating system in that country, with hopes of drastically improving sales. The Chinese will see a price reduction North Americans, ... for now, can only dream of. Vista Home Basic there will plummet from over 1,500 renminibi to just 499 renminibi ($66 USD). Home Premium will similarly drop, from 1,800 renminibi to 800 renminibi. That means Home Basic and Premium will drop 67% and 50%, respectively. For the record, China's Vista price is now less than a third of that charged to ... (view more)

For those who follow the tech industry, and in particular Microsoft, the sudden announcement of legal matters is hardly surprising. It seems the Redmond-based company, and others like Sony and Apple, are perpetually engaged in litigation to defend ... anything from copyright issues to product quality. Now, the most recent case surrounds a woman who has launched a legal campaign against Microsoft's Vista advertising, and the "Windows Vista Capable" motto. The suit comes from one Dianne L. Kelley, who finds that a number of PCs sold last year with Vista on board are anything but capable. Instead, ... (view more)

In the first of what may become many law suits involving Microsoft Windows Vista, a class action suit was recently filed alleging that people who bought "Vista Capable" and "Vista Ready" computers last year have found themselves with a machine ... barely capable of running Vista, not capable of running "the real Vista." Last year, before the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft and several computer makers launched a program to put "Windows Vista Capable" logos on computers that met hardware requirements to run the new operating system when it came out. The law suit alleges that people bought the ... (view more)