Some of you may have seen a discussion around our plans for Windows 10 S on Twitter today, and given some additional questions I’ve received, I thought it might be helpful to share more about our plans with Windows 10 S.
Last year we introduced Windows 10 S – an effort to provide a Windows experience that delivers predictable performance and quality through Microsoft-verified apps via the Microsoft Store. This configuration was offered initially as part of the Surface Laptop and has been adopted by our customers and partners for its performance and reliability.
Since that time, we’ve received great feedback from customers and partners on Windows 10 S. Customers love the security, faster boot time, better battery life and consistent performance over time. Our partners have brought to market more than 20 devices with Windows 10 S enabled. We have also heard feedback that the naming was a bit confusing for both customers and partners.
Based on that feedback, we are simplifying the experience for our customers. Starting with the next update to Windows 10, coming soon, customers can choose to buy a new Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro PC with S mode enabled, and commercial customers will be able to deploy Windows 10 Enterprise with S mode enabled.
We expect the majority of customers to enjoy the benefits of Windows 10 in S mode. If a customer does want to switch out of S mode, they will be able to do so at no charge, regardless of edition. We expect to see new Windows 10 devices ship with S mode, available from our partners in the coming months, so check back here for updates.
We hope this new approach will simplify and make it possible for more customers to start using Windows in S mode: a familiar, productive Windows experience that is streamlined for security and performance across all our editions.
Source: Windows 10 in S Mode coming soon to all editions of Windows 10 - Windows Experience Blog
See also:
What is buried in this is switching from S mode to normal mode will be free for all editions. Thus the $49 pro upgrade for current S mode will not apply to these new skus. I am betting MS will continue to offer the current S and new S users (before new SKU) the upgrade for free beyond end of March.
It's a bit unfortunately worded, I was expecting "normal" W10 to be able to switch to S mode (something like Tablet mode) for instance in another (guest) account.
Yeah, more info is needed IMHO. From that, my take is, you have to obtain a device "already configured" in S mode to get S Mode?
Also, if say you switch out, can that device be switched back to S Mode.
And what happens if you do a reset and or factory reset?
And can you lock it in S Mode etc.
Windows RT failed, Windows Mobile failed, Windows S was scrapped... Do Microsoft really think S mode will take off and become popular?
I get the Idea they want to compete with locked stuff like Chromebooks for schools and other places where locking up is somewhat desired but still.
I used windows mobile and liked it but lack of developer support killed it. It's a cycle that windows mobile could not escape lack of user market share meant less interest from developers, less useful apps from developers meant less users wanted it.
Hi,
Is this a repeat or what :)
The Universal App Platform "should" help 10 Mobile / 10 on Arm etc. That was the plan anyway.
IMHO, most users aren't going to want to use S Mode. And if they can figure a way out they will. So said school IT person is going to have to lock the device in S MODE. I have my doubts as to whether S Mode will even be usable in said environments. But I could have it all wrong. It's been a long time since I sat behind a desk in a learning type environment.
Hi,
The default install has nothing but apps that are in the store so S mode is nothing out of the ordinary
Only difference is slide loading apps and or install apps from anywhere is gone.
Yawn
From the FAQ link:
Can I change my default web browser on my Windows 10 S PC?
No. Microsoft Edge is the default web browser on Windows 10 S, and Bing is the default search engine in Microsoft Edge when customers are in Windows 10 S configuration. But you can access other browsers and search engines while in the Windows 10 S configuration: you can download any browser available in the Microsoft Store within Windows and can navigate to any other search engine website. If you want to download a browser (or any other application) not in the Microsoft Store, you can switch to Windows 10 Pro. If you switch to Windows 10 Pro, you can then set your default browser and search engine to the one you choose.
That makes it a non-starter for a lot of folks...
Quote