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Windows 7 may be the beginning of the end for artificially tiered, restricted and priced operating systems.

With positive Release Candidate reviews, it looks like the Windows 7 launch in October will go smoothly. However, its impending arrival is creating challenges for Microsoft at the bottom of the hardware spectrum. Netbooks are a category too successful to ignore, and Microsoft has been working to beat out Linux as the netbook OS of choice. Ultimately, Microsoft wants to see its products on everything from netbooks to servers. But the company's tiered pricing and multi-edition strategy is wearing thin in a world expecting 99-cent mobile apps, free or cheap cloud productivity solutions, and free Wi-Fi connectivity on the road. The story with Windows 7 will not be if it outshines Vista (it will), but rather if it’s the beginning of the end for the artificially tiered, restricted and priced operating systems.