Marketing and all things related

Marketing Blurb proudly admits we are a geek. No, we do not write code or wear a Bluetooth gismo tucked in our ear, but we care about stuff like computer operating systems, which ideally should be transparent to the point of invisibility. Still we are anxious to see Microsoft Windows Vista, because our supposedly bulletproof edition of Windows XP Pro still crashes from time-to-time (even though we practice safe computer.) But we learned from Reuters that Microsoft will confuse everyone with multiple versions of the operating system at multiple price points. Here’s the deal: “The software maker set the retail price for Vista at between $100 and $259 for users upgrading from older versions of Windows. The prices range from the basic version of Vista to the top-end "ultimate" edition. For consumers looking to buy Vista without an upgrade, the products will cost between $199 to $399, Microsoft said.” We would prefer that any operating system be “ultimate” and it should have a single price point. Will this puppy not lock up? That would be worth good money.