How Ultimate Is This?
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Windows Vista Ultimate is Microsoft's operating system with all the whiz and bang for all users. But there is something important missing after all: extended life cycle support. |
I was poking around Microsoft's Support Lifecycle page for another blog post and observed some oddities, one being that Windows Ultimate support ends on April 10, 2012. Windows Vista Business and Enterprise both receive Extended Support, which means five more years—or April 11, 2017.
According to Microsoft's Support Lifecycle Web page, support for consumer products ends after five years. There is no Extended Support option. I had always assumed that Windows Vista Ultimate, which Microsoft pitches as having the most consumer and corporate features, would be supported for more than five years. Besides, Microsoft does offer Ultimate to businesses for volume-licensing purchase, with caveats such as single activation.
Laura DiDio, an analyst with Yankee Group, isn't surprised by the five-year support for the software. "Vista Ultimate is more of a consumer purchase," she said.
For businesses deploying Windows Vista Ultimate, however, the clock already is ticking down to the end of support. While Ultimate may not be standard fare on corporate desktops—even Microsoft is standardized on Vista Business, or so say some employee sources—small businesses are good candidates for the software. Likewise are universities. For schools with campuswide volume-licensing agreements, standard desktop distribution is Office Enterprise 2007 and Windows Vista Ultimate.
The limited support option creates potential problems for smaller businesses looking for improved security. BitLocker encryption technology is only available in two Vista editions: Enterprise and Ultimate. However, Enterprise is only available through volume licensing, a purchasing option not used by many smaller businesses.
"They [Microsoft] are forcing customers to make some hard choices," DiDio acknowledged. That said, "five years is a long time in the high-tech world."
Five years wasn't enough for Windows XP, whose successor released about a month after Mainstream Support ended. Microsoft responded by extending support for Windows XP Home and Media Center versions.
Like Windows XP, support extension could come in the future, and DiDio believes that Microsoft "would bow to pressure" from customers to extend Ultimate support.
More perplexing is an ultimate contradiction: Office products are treated differently. According to the Office 2007 life cycle support page, Home and Student Edition—a low-end version for consumers—has extended support through April 4, 2017, like its heftier siblings, save one. For some perplexing reason, Office Professional 2007 support ends one day earlier than the other versions.
So, Microsoft's ultimate version of Windows isn't worthy of Extended Support, while the low-cost consumer version of Office is? For $399 full-price retail (or $259 upgrade) buyers get the ultimate what with their purchase? Commenters, how about you answer that question.
Related Posts:
- Windows Launch Sales Falter at Retail, Feb. 15, 2007
- The Ultimate Question Answered, Jan. 30, 2007
- Microsoft's Ultimate Disadvantage, Jan. 28, 2007
- Vista Family Discount Is No Ultimate Bargain, Jan. 18, 2007
- Microsoft's Ultimate Advantage, Jan. 7, 2007
Comments (10)
Joe why do you think microsoft sell a "Business" version of Vista ? .... for business !
Not to mention the "Enterprise" version !!
Just another storm whipped up by Joe Wilcox. I have seen all the questions that you have posed, and they are all designed to inspire comments of one sort or another.
But a lot of times are really only "beat ups" ! This is (I feel) one of thise times.
Posted by Robert | February 26, 2007 5:46 PM
People until very recently were still using windows 98 / SE ! That ended just recently.
So why wouldn't microsoft after a while extend windows Vista Ultimate, I mean to say it has just come out and already you seem to be trying to pick on anything that "might" come up !
For another point, when was Windows XP released ? 2001 that's when, well ... it's been more than 5 years hasn't it, if microsoft (as you say) will only give 5 years on a consumer product why is XP still ok ? I agree with Robert, and I feel that you are trying to make "a storm in teacup".
Posted by Dan | February 26, 2007 6:46 PM
Robert and Dan. I think you missed the point Joe is making about BitLocker. Which to me seems very valid. More so. If you buy something called Ultimate. Wouldn't you expect Ultimate support too?
Now if you take a look at
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/choose.mspx
You'll see there is very little difference between Business, Ultimate and Enterprise put together. The only thing that is in Ultimate that isn't in Business and Enterprise seems to be the Media Center stuff. Now honestly do you believe that justifies 5 years LESS of support? I can't possibly imagine what is so hard to update in Ultimate that won't be supported or updated in Business and Enterprise. If you can I'd love to hear your list.
Posted by Gerardo Tasistro | February 26, 2007 9:02 PM
Vista Ultimate also has a feature called "Previous Versions" This is not available in other editions like Home Basic or Home Premium, though business users are benefited. This feature is a sort of key feature to me, but Microsoft's web page that helps you choose a Vista version does not seem to highlight this as probably they might have felt that it's not a key feature.
Posted by Mugunth | February 27, 2007 7:31 AM
April 2012 eh?
That should coincide nicely with the next wave of cosmic rays due to rain on Earth causing yet another stage of our evolution (allegedly) ;)
By then we won't need OSes in boxes ;) We'll all be Human 2.0 (Service Pack 2012)
Posted by Kosso | February 27, 2007 1:19 PM
This is interesting considering I was told by Ms that I should be selling Ultimate to Business customers not on SA that want BitLocker.
Robert/Dan: Business does not have BitLocker, a major feature needed by many Business users. There are a large number of business users out here that are not on SA and can't get Enterprise so if they want Bitlocker they MUST go Ultimate. I find it very ironic ANYONE could agree with the highest priced version of Vista having a shorter product support life cycle, anyone but somebody from MS maybe.
Second MS Partners have been offered a discounted "upgrade" from Business to Ultimate for internal use. I don't think those Partners will find it fair that they lost 5 years of support because they paid MS for the upgrade.
Posted by James | February 27, 2007 2:51 PM
Joe Wilcocx is a masterpiece of FUD because on the Microsoft site there's written: "The information on this page is subject to the Microsoft Policy Disclaimer and Change Notice. Return to this site periodically to review any such changes.".
Posted by this_news_is_pure_fud | March 1, 2007 3:41 AM
This whole problem exists because there is NOT an upgrade available for Windows XP Professional!
Whoa! You say! What about Vista Business? Isn't that the upgrade for XP Pro?
NO. It's a DOWNGRADE for XP Pro. Many, many features were stripped out of it and went into Vista Enterprise or Ultimate. Vista Business is a slap in the face to those of us who supported NT Workstation, 2000 Professional, and XP Professional.
Microsoft marketing did this for three reasons: (1) they really don't care much about small business customers, (2) they had to offer their Software Assurance customers something or loose them altogether, and (3) they got greedy.
I'm recommending to my small business customers, unless they have a domain, that they keep using XP and skip Vista unless they have to buy new hardware. In that case, I recommend they take whatever version of Vista comes on the box. I see no advantage that Business has over Home Basic for most of them.
Posted by Herbert N Swearengen III | March 1, 2007 5:30 AM
Vista is the crack in the Borg Cube, the one that lets you see the man pulling the levers pretending to be the Great and Powerful OZ, if you can forgive a mixed metaphor. Microsoft's strength has always, always, always been marketing. Their marketing is so good some people thing Microsoft is a great software firm and Bill Gates is a genius, despite having used the software and having met Mr. Gates.
At some point Microsoft will have to extend XP because nobody in business is going to bet on Vista and there will likely be class action lawsuits, state by state, for a variety of problems including possibly fraud.
Extending Vista Ultimate is rather like adding a mile onto a highway to nowhere, it sounds impressive but it doesn't accomplish much.
How much of Dell' recent loss was because of people not buying New PC's with Vista, because they can't get a new PC with XP anymore? I guess we'll know by the end of the next quarter when Kramer starts calling it the Mr Softie recession, or the OWWW starts here. Can a badly written operating system really tip a badly managed economy into the toilet, is the NYSE running Vista?
Posted by Garvin Dwindle | March 1, 2007 11:54 PM
XP has been tried, used, tested, patched, debugged & had SP2 added to it. I'm happy with it the way it is, unless someone finds more holes to patch. Why would I want Vista ? It still has to go thru what XP has been thru & you have to pay for the inconvenience.
New doesn't mean better - just different. Something not tried before (except beta), which doesn't mean it won't need patches or won't have any bugs.
Thank God my old PC bit the dust in 06/06 & my new one has XPsp2 OS.
Posted by Alexia32 | March 2, 2007 7:51 PM