Windows Vista in 6 Flavors

Tom's Hardware:

Sources have told TG Daily that Vista will premiere the concept of an enumerated performance rank, currently called Windows System Performance Rating (WSPR), which buyers will be able to use to match the performance of new computers in the market with new software, using numbers from "1" through "5."  With six tiers of Vista available simultaneously, it's easy to imagine the Ultimate Edition being given a "5" rating, and Starter Edition a "1."  But for now, Microsoft isn't saying exactly what level of computer performance its Vista versions will require, although there has been some indication from sources that middle tiers of the new system will request at least a 3 GHz single-core processor, or a multi-core CPU capable of similar performance.

That's just great. Consumers are already baffled by the various collections of processors and GHz numbers from Intel and AMD. Not to mention the dual-core, double-core and multi-core headache which makes a 2 GHz (multi-core) processor faster than a 2.6 GHz (single-core) processor.

Now, we get the WSPR thanks to Microsoft. This can work if most computer manufacturers honestly adopt the rating. That way buyers will be able to compare vastly different machines.

Anyway, assuming the stated source is correct, I personally don't know anyone who has the hardware firepower to fully appreciate the glory of Vista when it comes out later this year. I'm guessing that the overall adoption of Windows Vista will be slower than Windows XP.