8 Things You Will Miss in Windows 7 Starter Edition

There was much ado about Microsoft lifting Windows 7 Starter Edition’s restriction to three application. In a recent feeback to its partners and customers, Microsoft confirmed that it will. Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows communications manager at Microsoft detailing on the changes said, Microsoft would enable Windows 7 Starter customers the ability to run as many applications simultaneously as they would like, instead of being constricted to the 3 applications limit that the previous Starter editions included.

Still what remains is the Starter Edition will not be a full fledged OS, it’ll renounce some of the features that makes it so unlikely. More precisely, the Windows 7 Starter edition will be a subset of the higher editions of Windows 7 like Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional and above. It seems Microsoft is all set to exploit the netbook market.  The changes introduced in Windows 7 is clearly to make it more appealing for the customers who would like to use the small notebook PC for the very basic tasks such as browsing the web, checking email and personal productivity. Let’s face the reality would the change in features make Windows 7 starter edition the ultimate netbook OS.

We have listed up the features that Windows 7 Starter would be lacking

1) No Aero Glass

Microsoft introduced Windows Aero Glass interface in the Vista Version.  With Aero out of the Windows 7 starter you can only use the Windows Basic or other opaque theme. No doubt, you’ll surely complain about the Taskbar Previews or Aero Peek. You’ll miss out all the frills from glowing effect on the Start button to live thumbnails, live icons, animations, eye candy and more.

2) No personalization

What if it’s your personal netbook, Windows 7 Starter doesn’t allow you the freedom of customization.

3) No multi monitor support

The Starter edition lacks multi monitor support. So you cannot plug in an external monitor and use it as a second desktop. That’s the most inexpensive way of improving computer usage. Do you say, it doesn’t matter much for a netbook surfer? But then the netbook doesn’t have a large screen.

4) No domain support

There is no domain support for business customers. Well, Microsoft can defend this. You can ask me what percentage of the netbook market is business customers?

5) No XP visualization mode

Forget it! you can’t run your older Windows XP programs on Windows 7 Starter.

6) No Media Center

Interestingly, the Windows 7 Starter will have no Media Center. So not media for you, after all

7) No Remote Media Streaming

Windows 7 starter doesn’t allow remote media streaming for streaming your music, videos and recorded TV from your home computer.

No DVD Playback

To add to your miseries there’s no DVD playback. More so you can’t plug in an external drive. For me it’s worse have a netbook like the Dell Mini 9 with a portable DVD drive and not play movies or music. Should I assume that Microsoft is driving its audience for Windows 7 versions like Home Premium? These versions can allow you to do things you could do with traditional PC like playing movies, working with documents, listening to music, working with photos etc.

To be straight its a Windows version sans entertainment.

Well, at least Microsoft has removed its 3 app barrier. They can agree to disagree that their much hyped netbook-friendly Starter edition is far from complete and that they will keep the users waiting for more.

Did I leave out something? Yeah, the price for Windows 7 Starter edition. If you go by the history, you may have to pay an extra $70 to $170 for the right to jump up a step or two in the Windows 7 hierarchy. Clearly, there are indications that Windows 7 pricing would be an issue of concern for most consumers. Dell is apprehensive the Windows 7’s average selling price would be higher than it was with either Windows Vista or XP.