[epistasis]

Remote Desktop is almost essential for "home" users, as it allows remote guidance through the computer.

>You pay more for Pro/Enterprise because it has added features that Power Users/Businesses need.

Do you really? When negotiating large licenses with volume discounts, does Microsoft really end up charging more for each install than they do with the Home options?

How many consumers pay for the Pro or Enterprise versions, and how much money does Microsoft actually make on that small price differential, compared to how much the market segmentation costs them in terms of consumer confusion and dismay?

Clearly MS knows these answers better than I do, but I also don't really trust their marketing teams to execute that well in the consumer space. Sure, they are awesome in the business sphere, but they really suck when it comes to consumers.

[tracker1]

Enterprise/Education will only be available through organization based license agreements... not really for individuals. As to Home/Pro, I mostly agree... I wouldn't mind seeing a base version that's effectively Pro... considering the domain is a server license with additional CALs required anyway (SAMBA aside).

That, or just sell the pro services as an upgrade package for windows, instead of a separate OS package... I know it's all in the details, just the same it can/should be more transparent.

[merb]

Remote Desktop is not essential for "home" users, there is Windows Remote Assistance which is way better for that use case. It is based on RDP but can traversal NAT, so Remote Desktop is really not needed for "home" users at all.