Microsoft is dropping the Windows 10 S SKU altogether in favour of a new “S Mode” for Windows 10 Home, Pro, and Education. Both Neowin and Thurrott have discovered that Microsoft will drop the Windows 10 S as a standalone product.
The move could be aimed to clear confusion among its hardware partners and consumers alike.
In May last year, Microsoft introduced Windows 10 S – a streamlined version of its Windows 10 operating system.
Designed to compete with Google’s Chrome OS, it is a fully-functional version of Windows. However, the operating system restricts users to download apps from the Windows store.
Barring the Windows 10 S, every other version of Windows 10 has the option to download apps from third-party stores and sites.
The Surface Laptop was the first commercial device available to run Microsoft’s Windows 10 S. Those users who wish to upgrade to a full version of Windows, they can do so by paying a fee of $49 (or approx Rs 3142).
Now, it looks like Microsoft’s Windows 10 S has not got the much-desired attention which the company had initially hoped for. Which is why the company is introducing a new “S Mode” that will be available to OEMs across Windows 10 Home, Pro, and Educational SKUs.
The S Mode will restrict any version of Windows 10 to download apps from third-party sources, killing the purpose of having a standalone Windows 10 S.
According to Thurrott, 60 per cent of users that bought a device with Windows 10 S actually stayed with the OS.
However, for those who did make a switch from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro, 60 per cent of those did so within 24 hours of owning a Windows 10 S machine. Keep in mind that the Surface Laptop device was excluded from the data.
Evidently, Microsoft is planning to allow Windows 10 Home users to disable the S Mode free of charge.
Those running Windows 10 Pro with S Mode enabled on their machine will have to pay $49 (or approx Rs 3142) to get an access to a full version of Windows 10 Pro.
Ladesope Ladelokun
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