According to PC World, Microsoft has decided to stick all the versions on a single DVD. This will mean that anyone who wants to upgrade to a better version later will already have the disk. All they will have to do is phone in to get the software key to upgrade it. While this move will make it easier to upgrade, it also will mean that for the price of the most basic model and a product key 'borrowed' from a neighbourhood hacker you will have the full range of Vista at your fingertips. All this will come from a high-quality legitimate disk costing $199 instead of $399.

In the past, Microsoft distributed each version of the Windows client OS on its own disk, says our colleague, Liz Montalbano of IDG News Service. However, in a move it is calling "Windows Anytime Upgrade"--which cuts costs for Microsoft as well as making it easier for customers to upgrade--the version of Windows Vista that a customer buys will be activated by his or her product key and will be on a disk with the other editions of the OS.

For example, if a customer buys Windows Vista Home Premium from a retail store, he or she will get a DVD that also includes Windows Vista Ultimate, but the product key for the purchase will only activate Home Premium and its features and functionality, Mike Burk, a Microsoft spokesman, told IDG News Service.

Consumers will have their choice of several versions of Windows Vista when it becomes available, which is scheduled for January 2007: Windows Vista Ultimate, which will cost $399; Windows Vista Business, which will cost $299; Windows Vista Home Premium, which will cost $239; and Windows Vista Home Basic, which will cost $199. Microsoft has said it plans to urge customers to purchase premium versions of Vista in favor of Windows Vista Home Basic, the entry-level version for U.S. consumers.