This is so stupid many people haven’t been sure if it is a hoax or not. “…Windows 7 Starter Edition [is limited] to running only three concurrent applications“.

Says a Microsoft spokesperson:

We ran a study which suggested that the average consumer has open just over two applications [at any time]

They claim this will make their software more accessible to emerging markets. In reality, it looks like it will force people to pay more for the more sophisticated versions.

So why is this so dumb?

Because it costs Microsoft money, probably lots of it, to create, market and support a crippled version like this. They expended extra effort to make their software less capable. That is retarded. Only an MBA is capable of that level of stupidity.

After the very public failure of Windows Vista, one has to wonder why Microsoft still wastes so much time crippling their software.