Vista is the operating system that replaced Microsoft's Windows XP Home, Pro, and Media Center editions. Vista will enhance the users experience with a glass like interface called Aero that will have strict hardware guidelines and run only on the higher end versions of Vista.

Vista is available in many different editions. Over the weekend of September 23 &24th 2006, Microsoft Canada accidentally leaked details about Vista's Canadian pricing. Amazon published a list of the US prices for the various Vista editions, along with a release date of January 30, 2007.

Here's the pricing from Amazon as it appears on their site as of October 14, 2006. Keep in mind that pricing and release dates were subject to change; in fact, a Microsoft spokesperson has been quoted elsewhere on the net that the pricing had not been set in stone.

In addition to the full and upgrade versions, Amazon had a number of License Packs—disc-less boxes—available at prices that seem quite a bit high, but are in line with upgrade pricing for Windows XP. For example: Windows Vista Ultimate Microsoft License Pack Additional License is listed for $359. As has been the case with other versions of Windows, copies bundled with hardware (aka, OEM versions) will be significantly less expensive.

The pricing itself is around what we expected; the sheer number of SKUs is not. With four editions of Vista and four versions for each edition, we're looking at 16 different SKUs for Vista. That may cause a bit of confusion for consumers wondering which version they should purchase—at least for consumers that actually go out and buy the new operating system.

Microsoft may not be as concerned as you might think, though. Unlike previous versions of Windows, consumers are able to unlock additional functionality with a credit card. That may result in consumers simply deciding to go with the least-expensive version and performing upgrades on the fly as needed.

Beyond that, consumers really don't buy new operating systems apart from a computer purchase. Enthusiasts? Definitely. Most of us in the Orbiting HQ will be snapping up copies of Vista once it is available. The vast majority of the Windows-using populace on the other hand, won't. If recent history tells us anything, it's that consumers rarely upgrade their operating systems aside from when they buy new hardware.

With a $900 million marketing campaign ready to launch, Microsoft is looking at a slow, uphill climb for Vista adoption in the short-term. The company said at last spring's Intel Developer Forum that they hoped to have 400 million computers running Vista within two years of its release, with a significant percentage using enterprise licensing. That may be optimistic.

When you combine consumer reticence towards buying boxed operating systems off the shelf with the deliberate pace with which corporate IT department roll out OS updates, the short-term picture for Vista adoption is not all that encouraging. Longer-term, the picture will be quite different. Worldwide, PC shipments are expected to grow at around 10.5 percent through 2008, and the majority of those will be running Vista.