We believe in the long term value of Apple hardware. You should be able to use your Apple gear as long as it helps you remain productive and meets your needs, upgrading only as necessary. We want to help maximize the life of your Apple gear.
For those wondering why the new version is Windows 7 instead of some
other number, it's based on Microsoft's version numbering scheme.
Versions known by other numbers (95, 98) or names (Me, XP, Vista) used
internal version numbers. XP was version 5.1, Vista 6.0, and the new
one is 7.0.
Windows 1 was released in November 1985, 2.0 in
October 1987, and 2.1 (a.k.a. Windows/286 and Windows/386) in May
1988.
Windows 3, which introduced some 32-bit capabilities, came to
market in May 1990 and came into its own with version 3.1 in April
1992.
Microsoft split off a "new technology" version of Windows to compete
with Unix. It was heavily influenced by Microsoft's partnership with
IBM that created OS/2, and development of the new version began as OS/2
version 3. It shipped as Windows NT 3.1 in July 1993 and was fully a
32-bit operating system. It was the first version of Windows that did
not run as a shell on top of DOS. Windows NT 3.5 shipped in 1994, and
4.0 in 1996.
Windows 4 came out as Windows 95 in August 1995, the first
consumer version with pervasive 32-bit support and pre-emptive
multitasking. Windows 98 arrived in June 1998, and a second edition
(Windows 98 SE) replaced it a year later. Windows Me (Millenium
Edition) shipped in September 2000 and was the final consumer version
of Windows 4.
Windows 5 arrived as Windows 2000 in February 2000, a
replacement for NT 4.0. The consumer version, known as Windows XP
(Windows 5.1), was released to manufacturers in August 2001 and not
available on the retail market until October. The latest version is
SP3. Windows Server 2003 (Windoes 5.2) replaced Windows 2000 in April
2003, and its latest version is SP2. Microsoft released separate 64-bit
versions of Windows XP and Server 2003 in April 2005.
Windows 6 was named Windows Vista, released to manufacturers
in November 2006, and reached the retail market in January 2007. Vista
is also available in separate 64-bit editions. Windows Server 2008
(Feb. 2008) is another version of Window 6.
Although currently unreleased, the preview and recent builds of
Windows 7 identify themselves as version 6.1. We are guessing
that Microsoft will change that to 7.0 in the release version.
Isn't it nice that Apple uses a simple, straightforward numbering
system?
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986,
sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and
has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Links for the Day
Mac of the Day: Performa 630, introduced 1994.07.01. The first desktop Mac with an IDE hard drive could accept a TV or radio tuner.
