Sunday, April 29, 2012
Confirming the rumors about simplified SKU's , Microsoft has announced that its latest o/s Windows 8 will come in three flavours: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT(Run Time). While the first two will be available at retail, the Run Time version will come pre-installed in ARM-based devices.
While all the three have the same core features, average users will find a tough time telling them apart."Windows 8" is intended as the base offering and pretty much seems analogous to the previous "Home" editions. It although has virtually all the upgrades like the updated Task manager and Windows Explorer, better multi-monitor support, Sky drive integration, improved power efficiency and more.
On the other hand "Windows 8 Pro" has some extra perks meant for the tech savvy guys and professionals, such as access to BitLocker, BitLocker To Go, Client Hyper-V, Group Policy controls, as well as the ability to host via Remote Desktop and boot from VHD. However the PRO version requires you to upgrade either through Windows 7 Professional or Ultimate.
Last but not the least the "Windows RT" version also known as Windows On ARM (WOA), won't be available to retail OS and since its mostly geared towards the Tablets, Microsoft has made some mobile oriented tweaks. Most notably, the touch-optimized desktop versions of Office applications including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. It also gains device encryption, but loses Windows Media Player.
Outside this, there will also be an Enterprise Edition, that contains all the features of Windows 8 Pro with added features for IT organization that "enables PC management and deployment, advanced security, virtualization, new mobility scenarios, and much more." Pricing hasn't been shared yet, but we'd be surprised to see a significant deviation from previous rates. The full feature chart is below:
Feature name | Windows 8 | Windows 8 Pro | Windows RT |
Upgrades from Windows 7 Starter,Home Basic, Home Premium | x | x | |
Upgrades from Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate | x | ||
Start screen, Semantic Zoom, Live Tiles | x | x | x |
Windows Store | x | x | x |
Apps (Mail, Calendar, People, Messaging,Photos, SkyDrive, Reader, Music, Video) | x | x | x |
Microsoft Office (Word, Excel,PowerPoint, OneNote) | x | ||
Internet Explorer 10 | x | x | x |
Device encryption | x | ||
Connected standby | x | x | x |
Microsoft account | x | x | x |
Desktop | x | x | x |
Installation of x86/64and desktop software | x | x | |
Updated Windows Explorer | x | x | x |
Windows Defender | x | x | x |
SmartScreen | x | x | x |
Windows Update | x | x | x |
Enhanced Task Manager | x | x | x |
Switch languages on the fly(Language Packs) | x | x | x |
Better multiple monitor support | x | x | x |
Storage Spaces | x | x | |
Windows Media Player | x | x | |
Exchange ActiveSync | x | x | x |
File history | x | x | x |
ISO / VHD mount | x | x | x |
Mobile broadband features | x | x | x |
Picture password | x | x | x |
Play To | x | x | x |
Remote Desktop (client) | x | x | x |
Reset and refresh your PC | x | x | x |
Snap | x | x | x |
Touch and Thumb keyboard | x | x | x |
Trusted boot | x | x | x |
VPN client | x | x | x |
BitLocker and BitLocker To Go | x | ||
Boot from VHD | x | ||
Client Hyper-V | x | ||
Domain Join | x | ||
Encrypting File System | x | ||
Group Policy | x | ||
Remote Desktop (host) | x |
Very Bad Font use a better and clean font..
ReplyDeleteI have to say i am very impressed with the way you efficiently blog and your posts are so informative. You have really have managed to catch the attention of many it seems keep it up!
ReplyDeletevonage
thanks a lot neil...
ReplyDelete