Microsoft has launched Windows RT Windows 10 S. Windows 10 S is a version of the OS targeted at students of all ages that promises higher performance, better battery life, and tighter security.
Microsoft, which makes the most popular desktop OS in the world, Windows, has had no answer for it. It only recently started building its own PCs — which tend to be on the premium side of pricing — and Windows is, well, Windows, a $120 product that relies on sometimes expensive, large third-party applications that you download and install. It has a good cloud game in One Drive, but there hasn’t really been a marriage between platform, price and cloud accessibility. Windows 10 S is at least part of Microsoft’s answer.
Windows 10 S to make its debut on cheap laptops and tablets from PC manufacturers, offering more affordable computers with more bang for their buck. The “S” stands for “streamlined, significant performance, and security,” Microsoft Windows boss Terry Myerson said on stage at Microsoft’s event. Myerson said the “s” also stands for the “soul” of the operating system.
But the perks of Windows 10 S come with a tradeoff: You’ll only be able to download and run apps from the Windows Store, the app store built into Windows 10. Which means, at the very least, that you’re stuck with Microsoft Edge, the browser built into Windows 10, since Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox aren’t (currently) in the Windows Store. Microsoft Office, the full desktop versions, are coming to the Windows Store “soon,” says Myerson.
“We’re taking a new approach,” Myerson said. “Simplify to magnify… We’re proud to introduce Windows 10 S.” He said that it’s streamlined, simplified, and offers “superior performance”, describing it as “the soul of today’s Windows.”
Without the ability to install outside software, it also greatly reduces the amount of stuff that’s running in the background. That means that, much like Google’s Chromebooks, Windows 10 S-powered PCs can boot up quickly and get snappier performance with less slowdown.
Finally, Windows 10 S has one big thing that Chromebooks don’t: If you’re using Windows 10 S, and you decide that the whole “Windows Store” thing is too limiting, you can pay a relatively small fee to upgrade to a full version of Windows 10 Pro – at which point, it becomes just your normal, everyday Windows computer. At that point, though, you theoretically lose out on the better battery life and guaranteed higher performance.
Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Samsung, Toshiba are among the company’s hardware partners to be planning Windows 10 S devices that will launch “in the coming months”, priced from just $189. All of these devices will also include a free one-year subscription to Minecraft: Education Edition, as well as free Office 365 for Education, including Microsoft Teams.
This latest flavor of Windows will arrive inside new, low-cost laptops from Microsoft Partners and Microsoft itself in time for the back to school buying season. Microsoft hasn’t specified standalone pricing since it expects Windows 10 S will ship with low-cost systems.
Source: Businessinsider – finance.yahoo
