Wiley Windows 7 Secrets 978-0-470-50841-1 用户手册

You may occasionally hear Windows 7’s product editions referred to as SKUs. This term 

stands for stock keeping unit. While we typically use the more common terms product edi-

tion, version, and product versions throughout this book instead, these terms are all pretty 

much interchangeable.

Following is a list of the major Windows XP versions that Microsoft shipped between 
2001 and 2006. In a moment, we’ll compare these products with their corresponding 
Vista versions:

Windows XP Starter Edition (underdeveloped countries only)
Windows XP Embedded (sold in embedded devices only)
Windows XP Home Edition
Windows XP Home Edition N (European Union only)
Windows XP Media Center Edition
Windows XP Tablet Edition
Windows XP Professional Edition
Windows XP Professional Edition N (European Union only)
Windows XP Professional Edition K (South Korea only)
Windows XP Professional x64 Edition
Windows XP for Itanium-based systems

All Windows XP product versions, except Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, and 
Windows XP for Itanium-based systems, were available only in 32-bit versions.

The N and K versions of Windows exist because of antitrust-related actions against 
Microsoft around the world. These versions are each limited in some way and have 
proven unpopular with customers. Obviously, Microsoft wouldn’t even make them 
unless they were so required.

For Windows Vista, Microsoft surveyed the market and came away with two observations. 
First, its experiment splitting the Windows XP (and Microsoft Office) product lines into 
multiple product editions had proven enormously successful for the company. Second, 
customers appeared willing to pay a bit more for premium product SKUs, such as XP 
Media Center Edition, that offered extra features. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see 
that Microsoft’s experiences over the past few years led directly to the situation we had 
with Windows Vista: the company created six core Vista product editions, two of which 
were considered premium versions. Or, if you include the so-called N and K editions (for 
the European Union and South Korea, respectively), there were actually nine product edi-
tions. Or, if you count the 32-bit and x64 (64-bit) versions separately, since they are in fact 
sold separately for the most part, there were 17 product editions. Add the (RED) version of