Microsoft detailed four different editions of its upcoming platform

Apr 18, 2012 14:28 GMT  ·  By

When made commercially available later this year, Windows 8 will be tailored to fit the needs of a variety of people out there, starting with home users and going all the way to enterprise customers.

For that, Microsoft announced that there will be several editions of the platform released to the market, namely Windows 8 (which is the basic version of the OS), Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT (aka Windows on ARM or WOA).

There will also be a Windows 8 Enterprise edition for corporate use, and localized versions of the platform for the Chinese market and some other countries.

As expected, there will be a range of differences between these Windows 8 SKUs, and you can have a look at some of the most important ones below.

Windows 8, for example, will arrive with support for upgrades from Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, and Home Premium.

The features list it comes with includes Start screen, Semantic Zoom, Live Tiles, Windows Store, Internet Explorer 10, Updated Windows Explorer, Windows Defender, the enhanced Task Manager, Desktop mode, and Windows Media Player.

There will also be specific apps included in this OS flavor, such as Mail, Calendar, People, Messaging, Photos, SkyDrive, Reader, Music, Video, along with support for the installation of x86/64 and desktop software. It will come with Snap as well.

Other features of this platform version include Microsoft account, Connected standby, SmartScreen, Windows Update, Switch languages on the fly (Language Packs), Better multiple monitor support, Storage Spaces, Exchange ActiveSync, File history, and Mobile broadband features.

The Reset and refresh your PC feature will also be included, along with Touch and Thumb keyboard, Trusted boot, VPN client, ISO / VHD mount, Picture password, Play To, and Remote Desktop (client).

Windows 8 Pro will include all these, while adding support for upgrades from Windows 7 Professional and Ultimate, BitLocker and BitLocker To Go, Boot from VHD, Client Hyper-V, Domain Join, Encrypting File System, Group Policy, and Remote Desktop (host).

As for Windows RT, it will arrive with most of Windows 8 features, while adding some new ones to the list.

This platform edition will feature Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote), and Device encryption, but won’t allow for upgrades from previous Windows versions (it will be distributed only pre-loaded on tablet PCs).

Moreover, it will lack support for the installation of x86/64 and desktop software, as well as Storage Spaces and Windows Media Player.

There is also the aforementioned Windows 8 SKU specifically designed for enterprise customers with Software Assurance agreements.

“Windows 8 Enterprise includes all the features of Windows 8 Pro plus features for IT organization that enable PC management and deployment, advanced security, virtualization, new mobility scenarios, and much more,” Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc explained in a blog post.

You can download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Build 8250 from Softpedia via this link.