What does it mean if Windows 7 Starter edition will only run three applications?
I was puzzling over this following Microsoft's
announcement last week of the Windows 7 SKUs (editions to you and I) that will be available when the new platform finally ships.
Windows 7 Starter will be the lowest cost option and will only be available pre-installed on systems. Because of this, it is the version most likely to supplant Windows XP on mini laptops, aka netbooks.
This is obviously Microsoft's intention, as the official release hints: "Starter is a limited functionality SKU with an application limit designed for small notebook PCs in all markets."
However, Starter edition will also only be able to support "up to 3 concurrent applications", which sounds fair enough, as netbooks are clearly not suited to intensive use.
The question is: how do you define an application? When my laptop boots up, it loads up antivirus software and other stuff such as the GoogleTalk instant messaging tool. Do these count as applications or services? In other words, would running a security tool and an IM client mean you could only open a single application on a netbook?
I put this question to Microsoft, and soon got an answer from Laurence Painell, UK Windows marketing manager.
"Anything in the notification area of the Windows taskbar doesn't constitute an application," he told me. Furthermore, having multiple document windows open in software such as Word or Excel will not count as more than one application.
However, there is a proviso. With tools such as antivirus, if the user then clicks on the icon in the notification area, this typically opens a new window to let you set options or commence a scan of the hard drive. This would then count as a running application, according to Painell.
Much has already been made about these limitations and the effect that it may have on the cost of netbooks. Various newswires have claimed that Windows 7 will bump up the purchase price of netbooks, because nobody will want the Starter edition.
However, Painell said that Windows 7 will have an "in-place upgrade" feature that will allow users to effectively move to another edition without having to install anything extra. Customers will be able to purchase a key code to upgrade at retail outlets, over the web, or via the phone, he said.
"The key lets the user unlock the features of the Home Premium edition without requiring a re-install," he said.
My guess is that this will lead to most netbooks being shipped with Windows 7 Starter edition, in order to keep to a low price point (£200 - £300), but with the option to upgrade to full functionality for an extra fee.
OK, so users may have to pay more to get a mini laptop capable of running more than three applications, but it looks like Microsoft has taken the pain out of the upgrade decision.
If it is as easy as the company suggests (and we'll have to wait and see for the proof), then Windows 7 Starter edition doesn't look like being quite the white elephant it is currently being portrayed as. More a Trojan horse, perhaps....
12 Feb 2009
