Microsoft is at it again, they will be expanding the number of existing Windows 10 editions, Microsoft is going to bring five more variants for home users. Here are the key changes and how they will be licensed and priced.
The Redmond software giant is currently working on no less than five new editions which extend the Windows 10 Home family and seems to be tied to hardware specifications. The new (and now totally confusing) editions you can see listed below. It is totally unclear how Windows itself differs from the new versions, other than is being compatible with a certain hardware level:
- Entry
- Value
- Core
- Core+
- Advanced
I mentioned hardware requirement, as Microsoft is preparing different system requirements for each edition. Entry and Value SKUs will be targeted for Atom and Celeron-based devices with a maximum of 4 GB of RAM, while the new Advanced edition would require Intel Core i9 and Core i7 CPUs reports website winaero. Below you can see an overview of the versions versus hardware specs:
- Entry: Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium ≤ 4 GB RAM & ≤ 32 GB SSD AND ≤ 14.1″ screen size (NB), ≤ 11.6″ (2in1, Tablet), ≥ 17″ AiO
- Value: Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium ≤ 4 GB RAM & ≤ 64GB SSD & ≤ 14.1″ screen size (EM ≤ 4 GB RAM & ≤ 64GB SSD or ≤ 500 GB HDD)
- Core: Cannot be used on devices that meet the Core+ and Advanced SKU Hardware Specifications
- Core +: High end CPU and >4 GB RAM (All Form Factors) ≥8 GB RAM & ≥1080p screen resolution (NB, 2in1, AiO) >8 GB RAM & ≥2 TB HDD or SSD storage (Desktop)
- Advanced: Intel Core i9 (any configuration) OR Core i7 ≥ 6 Cores (any RAM) OR AMD Threadripper(any configuration) OR Intel Core i7 >16 GB (any Cores) or AMD FX/ Ryzen7 >16 GB (any Cores) OR ≥ 4K screen resolution (any processor, includes 4K UHD-3840 resolution
Pricing for the SKUs is as follows: Advanced ($101), Core + ($86.66), Core ($65.45), Value ($45), and Entry ($25). In other news, Microsoft is canceling Windows 10 S as a separate edition. Instead, there will be ‘S mode’, which can be enabled for any edition. When in S mode, Windows 10 will be restricted to running apps downloaded from the Store only. The new Windows 10 SKUs will be available to partners starting in April 2018.
