Guerrilla Marketing - Microsoft Vista Versions?

I am not sure if I have the term right for what I think Microsoft is doing - floating an idea that isn't that good, to gain favor for a changed decision in the future.  It is sort of guerrilla marketing but maybe it is just a strong form of psychological marketing manipulation.

Here is the theory ... Microsoft pre-announces (nothing really confirmed) their pre-Vista product marketing plan with 9 or so versions.  Nobody likes it, especially folks like John Dvorak.

Actually, you weren't suppose to like it.  You are suppose to think it is stupid and a bad idea. That is part of the plan.

Come next Fall 2006 when Vista ships, Microsoft makes a "BIG" splash and says "we listened to everyone complaining about all the versions" so we just made one (with two/three vertical solutions).

It is either that (they are brilliant), or their marketing/sales team with 9 product SKUs are really in the need of some reality juice, because that currently floated idea stinks IMHO.

Only time will tell ... speaking of predictions ... my Apple video iPod prediction from 8/3/05 based on Engadget data was correct.  Not a hard prediction though, and that probably makes me 1/100. :-)