Microsoft plans to drop the "Home" and "Pro" tags with the next release of Windows, code-named Longhorn, and is looking at shipping a single product that includes the features found in today's Windows XP (news - web sites) Media Center and Tablet PC editions.
While still mum on many Longhorn packaging details, Microsoft representatives are more willing to talk publicly about the product now that a first beta release is set to ship in the coming months and the decisions about key operating system components have been made.
For one, Microsoft has decided that the Home and Pro monikers it introduced with Windows XP to distinguish versions of the operating system meant for home and office use are not descriptive enough. There will be versions of Longhorn specifically meant for consumer and business use, but the naming will be changed.
"Having more friendly names that more accurately describe what the products are is going to be a big focus for us," says Brad Brooks, director of Windows client consumer marketing at Microsoft. "You will see very clear distinctions between what we are doing on the consumer side versus the business side." |