Microsoft has had patchy success with its Windows Vista series of operating systems, and is banking on its next major addition to the Windows franchise, Windows 7 to turn its fortunes for the better. After having generously released beta versions of the operating system to the public, the company is gearing up for a product launch schedule. In the process, it made its SKUs (variants) of the operating system official today. The lineup consists of three variants in particular, suited for domestic deployments, with three variants aimed more towards commercial deployments, and then of course, there is an Ultimate variant that lets one have it all. The lineup for Windows 7 is as follows:

* Windows 7 Starter Edition
* Windows 7 Home Basic
* Windows 7 Home Premium
* Windows 7 Professional
* Windows 7 Enterprise
* Windows 7 Ultimate

The Starter Edition variant is an entry-level OS for available through OEM/OEI channels. Like the Windows XP Starter Edition, it supports up to three open applications concurrently, along with restrictions on the kind of hardware that can be used in the system. For emerging markets, the Home Basic variant serves as a mainstream platform sans all the paraphernalia of a fancy, animated Aero UI.

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