Windows 10 S Introduced
At the Education Event, on May 2 in New York, Microsoft has unveiled another edition of the Windows operating system: Windows 10 S. This is a clearly restricted version, which prevents an installation of traditional desktop applications, and allows only applications from the Windows Store.
In contrast to Windows RT, the outdated Windows OS for ARM processors, which pursued the same approach and accepted only applications from the Windows store, too, Windows 10 S is supporting the execution of conventional Win32 applications. However, developers will have to convert them using the Microsoft Desktop Bridge into applications for the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and publish them in the Windows Store. The software company itself will offer its complete Office Suite with PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, etc. in future in the store.
With this restricted version, Microsoft promises improvements in terms of management and security, longer battery life and faster logon times, without having to renounce the new features of the Creators Update, such as support of mixed reality. As potential customers, Microsoft is addressing to schools and other educational institutions.
Thanks to the simplified administration, devices can be set up very quickly and are relatively safe, because the applications, being installed from the store, are running in separate containers. Google with its Chromebook offers customers from the education sector a comparable system. These systems are also considered very flexible and can only obtain applications from their own store. In the US education sector Google already is quite successful with its system, and has achieved a market share of 58 percent.
Windows 10 S is intended not only for pupils and students. According to a Microsoft statement, the letter "S" stands for security & simplicity; an operating system that could quite be an alternative for users, who wish rather a secured Windows 10 and therefore are willing to accept significant restrictions. However, Microsoft is not planning to sale the new version directly. The new operating system should be available only for OEMs and through the Volume License program.
Users, whom Windows 10 S is too restrictive, will have - against payment - the possibility to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.