Microsoft is targeting its Windows Home Server at mainstream consumers – the average Joe. The operating system is meant to run on its own computer that backs up data from all home computers on a given network, streams media (taken from Windows XP Media Center Edition) and provides remote access to documents over the internet. The software is obviously aimed at households with at least two other computers which is a market Microsoft estimates at about 40 million to 45 million worldwide. Such a device should retail between $500 and $1,000, depending on hardware, especially hard disk drive, specifications. The operating system is based on Windows Server 2003 and although it borrows from other Microsoft technologies, it has its own unique ones as well.
"The goal is trying to take the seams out [of backup and recovery]. There are too many choices and too many knobs and we ask too many questions. And we expect the people to know the answers to every question. We are designing the product for families and the second-tier purchaser, the enthused follower who really looks at the enthusiast for guidance. The dream is that for Father"s Day, a wife would buy one for her husband because she understands the benefits of backup and remote access," said Todd Headrick, a senior product manager with Microsoft.