Windows Enterprise : Only available to business customers through a Software Assurance, volume licensing subscription. Windows 8 Single Language edition : Only available in selected regions Does not include multiple languages.
Was this reply helpful? Yes No. Sorry this didn't help. By signing up, you agree to receive the selected newsletter s which you may unsubscribe from at any time. You also agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge the data collection and usage practices outlined in our Privacy Policy. What are you looking for? Preferences Community Newsletters Log Out. Written by Mary Jo Foley , Contributor. Full Bio. My Profile Log Out. Join Discussion for: Microsoft: Here are the four editions of The main difference between device encryption and BitLocker seems to be that BitLocker can be managed by an IT administrator in a business using group policies and a domain; with no group policies or domain support that won't work on Windows RT.
If you can manage device encryption it will be through Exchange Active Sync — the way you sync email and calendar appointments — which can already make you use a strong password on a smartphone or a Windows 8 PC. Running desktop apps on a tablet would be a bad idea. Although there will be Ultrabook-style thin notebooks running Windows RT rather than just tablets, tablets with just a touch screen aren't the best way to use the tiny icons and toolbars of the average Windows program.
Even if you could run x86 instructions virtually on an ARM processor they'd be slow, and with all the background services and startup apps and power-hogging tools built into Windows app, they'd run down your battery. But if you want a thin, light, low power Windows 8 tablet that does run desktop applications, that's still on the cards using low-power System on Chip SoC processors from Intel and AMD. Like ARM-based Windows RT devices, Windows 8 PCs with x86 chips can give also you Connected Standby where your PC turns off when you turn off the screen but leaves the Wi-Fi or mobile broadband running and receiving only the notifications you've asked for, so your Metro-style email stays up to date and you can get VoIP calls, but apps aren't running and neither is Windows.
It also includes features such as BitLocker and AppLocker. This version can't reasonably be said to confuse consumers because they can't buy it, and there's no reason they should ever have heard of it. My guess for the putative Windows 8 Professional Plus edition is that it will be pretty much the same as Windows 8 Enterprise Edition, but available under a licensing scheme that suits smaller SME businesses.
But as mentioned, it may not actually exist. According to the Windows 8 Beta website , the registry also allows for a Windows 8 Enterprise Eval edition, presumably for evaluation purposes.
PC manufacturers also have another three options that are not available for consumers to purchase directly. What they have in common is that they can only be purchased pre-installed on certain hardware.
Windows 7 Starter is the cheapest available version of Windows, and it is only sold for netbooks with limited specifications. It was created to replace a cut-price version of Windows XP, specifically to help those PC manufacturers sell netbooks to offer them at a lower price than full-spec laptops.
Presumably Windows 8 Starter will continue this tradition, though netbooks represent a shrinking market. Windows 8 Home Basic is another concession to price-conscious manufactures in certain geographical areas.
These areas do not include the US and Europe. Again, Microsoft is offering a version with reduced functionality, and taking a corresponding cut in profits.
It will only be available pre-installed on devices -- tablets, convertibles, laptops etc -- that enforce a "secure boot" procedure. This is best seen as offering the features of something like Apple's iOS5 on an iPad, via Microsoft's new Metro interface, with access to a Windows 7 desktop underneath.
In other words, the desktop will run Windows management programs, such as Windows Explorer, and some Microsoft Office programs. Of course, there is really only one version of Windows 7 for x86 processors, and there will only be one version of Windows 8 for x86 processors.
Microsoft is a bit like a Chinese restaurant offering several set meals with most dishes in common: if you pay more, you get more dishes, but you are not obliged to pay for dishes you don't want.
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