Mediante un comunicato stampa Microsoft ha annunciato ufficialmente il numero e le sigle delle versioni che saranno disponibili per il nuovo Sistema Operativo Windows Vista: in particolare sono 6 le varianti dell'OS che copriranno le esigenze di ogni tipologia di utente.
Windows Vista Business e Windows Vista Enterprise saranno dirette all'utenza business (piccola, media e grande), Windows Vista Home Basic, Windows Vista Home Premium e Windows Vista Ultimate ai privati mentre Windows Vista Starter, che mantiene l'architettura a 32 bit del precedente Windows XP, fornisce funzionalità ridotte che renderanno l'OS idoneo all'esecuzione sui sistemi di fascia bassa.
Microsoft ha anche comunicato la data orientativa per il rilascio di Vista, confermando di fatto che il nuovo Sistema Operativo sarà disponibile nella "seconda metà del 2006".
Segue il comunicato ufficiale di MS.
REDMOND, Wash. — Feb. 26, 2006 — Microsoft
Corp. today announced the product lineup of its upcoming Windows Vista
operating system. Scheduled for release later this year, the Microsoft
Windows Vista product lineup will bring clarity to customers’ digital
world by helping them easily accomplish everyday tasks, instantly find
what they want, enjoy the latest in entertainment, improve the safety
of their personal information, stay connected at home or on the go, and
help ensure PCs are up-to-date, more secure and running smoothly.
The
Windows Vista product lineup consists of six versions, two for
businesses, three for consumers, and one for emerging markets: Windows
Vista Business, Windows Vista Enterprise, Windows Vista Home Basic,
Windows Vista Home Premium, Windows Vista Ultimate and Windows Vista
Starter. The number of offerings is the same as the number of offerings
currently available for Windows XP. More important, the
lineup is designed to deliver clear value to a broad range of
customers, each product tailored to meet specific needs of various
segments of customers — home PC users, small and medium-sized
businesses and the largest enterprises — and is aimed at bringing
64-bit, Media Center and Tablet PC functionality into the mainstream.
"We
live in a digital world that is filled with more information, more
things to do and more ways to communicate with others than ever," said
Mike Sievert, corporate vice president of Windows Product Management
and Marketing at Microsoft. "The PC needs to give people the clarity
and confidence to handle this ‘world of more’ so they can focus on
what’s most important to them. With our Windows Vista product line,
we’ve streamlined and tailored our product lineup to provide what our
customers want for today’s computing needs."
Windows Vista: Designed for Businesses of All Sizes
Business
customers can choose from two versions that are designed to meet their
needs, based on the size and scale of their organizations:
| • | Windows Vista Business. Windows
Vista Business is the operating system designed for organizations of
all sizes. For small businesses, Windows Vista Business will help keep
PCs running smoothly and more securely so they are less reliant on
dedicated IT support. For larger organizations, Windows Vista Business
will provide dramatic new infrastructure improvements that will enable
IT staff to spend less time focused on day-to-day maintenance of PCs
and more time on adding strategic value to the organization. These are
some of the specific features of Windows Vista Business: | • | A
new user interface, named Windows Aero, is designed to deliver the
most productive, highest-performing desktop experience possible.
Windows Aero will provide a professional-looking, transparent glass
design, with subtle effects such as dynamic reflections and smooth
animations, along with Windows Flip and Flip 3D desktop navigation
features. | | • | In
addition to these navigation improvements, Windows Vista Business makes
it easier than ever to manage huge volumes of business documents. By
integrating search throughout the operating system and providing new
ways to organize files, Windows Vista Business helps business users
quickly find exactly what they are looking for. | | • | Windows
Tablet PC technology provides built-in handwriting recognition and
enables interaction with the PC with a digital pen or fingertip instead
of a keyboard. |
|
| • | Windows Vista Enterprise.
To better address the needs of large global organizations and those
with highly complex IT infrastructures, Windows Vista Enterprise is
designed to significantly lower IT costs and risk. In addition to all
the features available in Windows Vista Business, Windows Vista
Enterprise is designed to provide higher levels of data protection
using hardware-based encryption technology. It will also include tools
to improve application compatibility and will enable organizations to
standardize on a single worldwide deployment image with the inclusion
of all Windows user-interface languages. Windows Vista Enterprise will
be available only to customers who have PCs covered by Microsoft
Software Assurance or a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement. These are some
of the specific Windows Vista Enterprise features: | • | Windows
BitLocker Drive Encryption helps prevent sensitive data and
intellectual property from falling into the wrong hands if a computer
is lost or stolen. | | • | Virtual
PC Express is one of several built-in tools that improve application
compatibility with previous versions of Microsoft operating systems.
Virtual PC Express enables a legacy application to run unchanged on a
legacy Windows operating system in a virtual environment on top of
Windows Vista Enterprise. | | • | Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications enables users to run UNIX applications unchanged on a Windows Vista Enterprise-based PC. |
|
The new user interface Windows Aero is also available in this edition of Windows Vista.
Windows Vista: Incredible New Experiences and Choices for the Home PC User
Consumers can choose from three versions that deliver exciting new experiences for the home PC user:
| • | Windows Vista Home Basic.
Windows Vista Home Basic is a great choice for homes with basic
computing needs. For consumers who want to simply use the PC to browse
the Internet, correspond with friends and family through e-mail or
perform basic document creation and editing tasks, Windows Vista Home
Basic will deliver a safer, more reliable and more productive computing
environment. It will provide new tools and technologies for making the
PC more secure and enjoyable, including features such as a new Search
Explorer, Sidebar and Parental Controls. |
| • | Windows Vista Home Premium.
Windows Vista Home Premium will help consumers use mobile or desktop PC
functionality more effectively while enabling the enjoyment of new,
exciting digital entertainment experiences. Windows Vista Home Premium
improves every aspect of digital entertainment experiences, including
photos, video, TV, movies, music and games. Windows Vista Home Premium
includes everything in Windows Vista Home Basic, along with additional
features and enhancements such as the following: | • | The new user interface Windows Aero is also available in this edition of Windows Vista. | | • | Windows
Vista Home Premium integrates search throughout the operating system,
helping customers easily organize and quickly find large collections of
documents, pictures, movies, videos and music. | | • | Windows
Media Center capabilities turn the PC into an all-in-one home
entertainment center. Consumers can use Media Center to record and
watch TV shows (even high-definition TV) and access new kinds of online
entertainment content. It also provides the ability to connect Windows
Vista Home Premium to Xbox 360, extending the Media Center experience
to multiple rooms in the home. | | • | Windows
Tablet PC technology, which enables interaction with the PC with a
digital pen or fingertip instead of a keyboard, is also available in
this edition of Windows Vista. | | • | Integrated
DVD burning and authoring allows users to seamlessly burn personal
videos photos and files to video or data DVDs, and easily create
professional-looking DVDs from home movies that can be shared with
family and friends. |
|
| • | Windows Vista Ultimate.
Windows Vista Ultimate is the edition of Windows Vista that has it all.
It is the first operating system that brings together all the
entertainment features, mobility features and business-oriented
features available in Windows Vista. |
All
new versions are available for either 32-bit or 64-bit systems,
depending on the needs of the customer. Windows Vista Home Basic, Home
Premium, Ultimate and Business will be available as a full-packaged
product at retail and on new PCs. Windows Vista Enterprise will be
offered only to business customers participating in Microsoft’s
Software Assurance program.
Microsoft also will offer Windows
Vista Starter in emerging markets. Windows Vista Starter is designed to
empower families and entry-level PC users in these markets to
experience the world of social and educational benefits that personal
computer technology and the Internet makes possible. A 32-bit operating
system designed specifically for lower-cost computers, Windows Vista
Starter enables popular beginner PC activities and provides an
easy-to-use and more affordable entry point to the Windows Vista family
of products.
"Windows Vista is going to be a significant release
for all Windows customers — including enterprises, small and
medium-sized businesses as well as consumers," said Al Gillen, research
director for System Software at IDC. "Microsoft’s strategy to address
different customer segments with versions of Windows Vista optimized
for their needs should be well received by these diverse user
segments."
All versions of Windows Vista are scheduled to be broadly available in the second half of 2006.
News Source: Microsoft Press Release
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