Microsoft has confirmed four versions of Windows 8 will be available to customers. The versions will be Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, Windows 8 Enterprise, and Windows 8 RT. Only the first two will be available through retail channels. All the versions will feature the new Metro interface and updated applications.
The eponymous Windows 8 will be the basic consumer edition, allowing upgrades from Windows 7 Starter and Home editions.
Windows 8 Pro adds a handful of features, notably encryption via Bitlocker, and client Hyper-V virtualisation support, and is upgradable from Windows 7 Premium and Ultimate. W8 and W8 Pro will be the two retail versions.
Windows 8 Enterprise will include features for corporate deployment, and will be available only to enterprise customers on Microsoft's Software Assurance upgrade programme.
Windows RT (short for “runtime”) will be the version targeting ARM-based tablets and PCs, for pre-install only, with a very different feature set including a bundled version of Microsoft Office.
Pricing and shipping dates have yet to be confirmed. A consumer preview of Windows 8 was announced on 29 February, and has met with broadly positive reviews.
The full breakdown of features per version is available at Microsoft's Windows blog.
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