Microsoft just announced a new version of Windows 10, the Windows 10 S. It’s safe to say that the term “S” stands for either “Student” or “Surface” as the said updated operating system is tailored to work well with low-end hardware, resulting to a more budget-friendly personal computer that the students can afford.
The Windows 10 S is clearly the Microsoft’s answer to the Chrome OS
To make sure that the new operating system would work well with low-end hardware, Microsoft streamlined the available apps that would be compatible with it.
As per Terry Myerson, Microsoft’s Executive VP for Windows, everything that runs on Windows 10 S is downloaded in the Windows Store. The operating system can still run desktop apps for as long as they are packed specifically for Windows 10 S and listed in the Windows Store.
Other than the streamlined app ecosystem, Microsoft also refined the login process on to be quicker. They said that it would only take around 15 seconds for the system to be ready for a student to log in and use it for the first time. That’s a great improvement over the long and exhausting process of setting up Windows 10 for the first time.
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The new OS can also setup machines via a USB drive and comes with pre-configured options. And since the Windows 10 S is a new operating system, Microsoft is expecting to have a wide range of PC manufacturer partners that would be creating the hardware that would house their new creation. A Windows 10 S device will have a starting price of $189 (Php9458.69) and it will be available in Q3 2017.
The said machines will come with a free subscription to Minecraft: Education Edition. It will also come as a free upgrade for those schools that uses a PC currently running on Windows 10 Pro, Microsoft will also be tossing in a free Office 365 education with Microsoft Teams.
Microsoft will also bring some of its desktop apps to the Windows Store, primarily the Office. But what it really needs to be triumphant at is the support of other developers. Other desktop apps need to arrive on the Windows 10 S, which may be a little risky for the developers considering the limited market of the product.
But nonetheless, if the users feel a little restricted, Microsoft can enable desktop apps for the 10 S, but for a fee. You then need to upgrade your Windows 10 S device to a Windows 10 Pro to have the freedom to install anything.
Source: The Verge