JANUARY 2007 MAXIMUMPC 41
BY WILL SMITH
VISTA’S VARIOUS VERSIONS
There are four flavors of Windows Vista available at retail for home and business users. Which one is right for you?VISTA
ULTIMATEAero GlassMedia CenterMobility CenterXbox connectivityDrive encryptionCan connect to
Windows DomainsFull version: $400
Upgrade: $260VISTA
BUSINESSAero GlassNo Media CenterMobility CenterNo Xbox
connectivityDrive encryptionCan connect to
Windows DomainsFull version: $300
Upgrade: $200VISTA
HOME PREMIUMAero GlassMedia CenterMobility CenterXbox connectivityNo drive encryptionCan’t connect to
Windows DomainsFull version: $240
Upgrade: $160VISTA
HOME BASICNo Aero GlassNo Media CenterNo Mobility CenterNo Xbox
connectivityNo drive encryptionCan’t connect to
Windows DomainsFull version: $200
Upgrade: $100BY WILL SMITH
I
t’s been fi ve long, virus-infested years since
Microsoft launched Windows XP—an epoch in
modern computing terms. We’ve been using
XP for so long now that it’s tough to even
remember the dark days of Windows 98. At the
end of January, Microsoft is fi nally going to ship
Windows Vista, but we have plenty of questions
about the nascent OS, and we’re sure you do too.
Does Vista deliver enough of an improvement
over XP to justify its high cost? Does Vista
represent the kind of revolution that Microsoft
has been touting, or is it just another ME-style
incremental update? Do you need to upgradenow, or should you wait until your next hardware
upgrade? Will Vista even run well on your current
hardware? Is the OS good for gaming? With
DirectX 10 exclusive to Vista, do we really even
have a choice?
Over the last six months, we’ve spent
thousands of hours using Vista betas and release
candidates, rebuilding machine after machine,
and reinstalling the OS dozens of times, and
we’ve spent the last two weeks hammering
at the version of Vista Microsoft released to
manufacturers. At long last we’re ready to render
our verdict on the fruits of Microsoft’s labors.