Redmond-based software firm, Microsoft Corp. on Tuesday launched their latest Surface Laptop, and according to multiple online reports, the event was centered on education where the company took center stage to introduce Windows 10 S as a simpler, more secure operating system meant for students. All legal Windows 10 Pro machines in schools are eligible to get Windows 10 S for free.
Microsoft partnered with Acer, Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Samsung, and Toshiba to offer Windows 10 S laptops starting at as low as $189.
Terry Myerson, VP at Microsoft, also confirmed that these partners will also offer premium devices in the future. All of the Windows 10 Educations PCs will come with Minecraft: Education Edition (a free one-year subscription).
Microsoft Windows 10 S Explained
Windows 10 S is a new Windows experience that is built from the ground up keeping in mind classrooms. Windows 10 S only runs apps downloaded from the Windows Store, and for Microsoft, this means that everything is verified for both performance and safety. Students won’t be exposed to potentially dangerous apps, while every app is certified by Microsoft to ensure there is no performance drop over time.
An example of this, was the faster first-time login compared to Windows 10 Pro – just about 15 seconds – while subsequent logins will take less than 5 seconds. All Web browsers in the Windows Store will run on Windows 10 S devices, but Microsoft obviously recommends Edge that now has education-focused features like tab ordering and annotations.
Windows 10 S apps
Microsoft also announced that the Office 365 suite of apps including Teams will be coming to Windows Store, complete with an education-focused update that is meant for collaboration.
Windows 10 S brings all the features that were brought by the Creators Update to Edge and Cortana. Students and teachers can also upgrade to Windows 10 Pro – for a $49 fee – to download an application that isn’t in the Windows Store, but then, they will not be able to come back to Windows 10 S thereafter.
Windows 10 S machines will support Intune, Microsoft’s cloud-based device management system. Microsoft Intune for Education is available for administrators worldwide. Other administrator features include the ability to use a USB key to set up a PC in seconds with the Setup My PC wizard.
Windows 10 S is a hassle-free OS made for the schools and is set to take on Chrome OS.
source: NDTV news
