Paul Thurrott: Never has such a good idea been so badly bungled. Microsoft originally envisioned Windows Ultimate Extras as one of many differentiators for its high-end Windows Vista Ultimate edition. Of course, back in mid-2005, when these plans were unfolding, Microsoft was still struggling to define the various Vista product editions. It planned a Small Business edition, for example, but ultimately decided against it. And for Windows Vista Ultimate, Microsoft originally planned to include a number of features that never came to fruition, including a Game Performance Tweaker, a podcast creation utility, online "Club" services, extended A1 subscriptions, free music downloads, free movie downloads, Online Spotlight and entertainment software, preferred product support, and custom themes. (I first revealed these plans in my September 2005 article, Windows Vista Product Editions Preview.)
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