I agree with what you are saying, James, that you have to be careful in selecting MS Windows versions. This is clearly a decision to max out profits.
The multiple versions allow Microsoft to cash in on later upgrades and lets the big box stores sell cheap PCs. I have even seen the less expensive Dell & HP small business computers offered with Home Premium. When the home or small business user realizes they can't get the job done with Home Premium (is there is a non-Premium?), they have to use Windows Anytime Upgrade for a more capable version, and maybe even pay for some extra memory as well.
However, I disagree with your comment about Macs having a "very limited feature set", but that is probably a discussion for a different board.
