Windows Vista to support upgrades on the fly

With six separate versions of Windows Vista on the way, Microsoft has a marketing challenge on its hands. How will the company properly inform users as to which versions support which features? One part of the plan is now becoming clear: all four “consumer” versions of the OS will be available to users even after installation. How? They’ll all be available for “instant online upgrade” once Windows Vista is installed.

Finally, I agree with something that Microsoft does. Right now, if you own a copy of XP Home, you have to buy a new copy of XP Pro in order to upgrade. This will allow someone to buy a new Dell, say, with Vista Basic, which he can later upgrade for a fee. Hopefully the fee’s will be in line with actual retail prices and not bloated. Check out the full article at Ars Technica.