Microsoft Confirms Windows 10 S Becomes '10S Mode' in 2019

How to Tell Microsoft What You Really Think About Windows 10

At the low-end of the computing market, Microsoft is competing with Chromebooks and tablets, especially in schools. To counter that, we got Windows 10 S: a feature-limited version of Windows 10 aimed at the education market and restricted to software installations from the Windows Store. It is possible to unlock a full version of Windows 10 if you are willing to pay for it.

Last month it was rumored that Windows 10 S was set to be replaced by a mode that can be set in other versions of Windows 10. Microsoft has now confirmed this is indeed happening in 2019, and it will be called "10S" mode.

We use Win10S as an option for schools or businesses that want the 'low-hassle'/ guaranteed performance version. Next year 10S will be a "mode" of existing versions, not a distinct version. SO â€¦ I think it's totally fine/good that it's not mentioned.
— Joe Belfiore (@joebelfiore) March 7, 2018

The confirmation came via the tweet you see above by Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President in the Operating Systems Group at Microsoft. He sees the new mode as a way of removing the hassle and guaranteeing the performance of Windows 10 for education or business use.

By switching to a mode rather than a completely separate version of the Windows operating system, it certainly simplifies things for Microsoft. Vendors can choose to ship with 10S mode enabled by default and save some money on Microsoft license fees. Corporate users on the other hand, could opt to enable or disable the mode depending on the employee, use case, and location. As with Windows 10 S, any consumers using a device with Windows 10 running in 10S mode will likely be able to unlock the full version for a price.

We'll have to wait and see if Microsoft is keeping 10S mode exactly the same as Windows 10 S in terms of restrictions, or has tweaked them in some way. Whatever the case, expect cheap laptops and even desktop PCs to start being advertised with "Windows 10 - 10S Mode" from next year. And I'm sure marketing departments will pick up on Belfiore's comments about "guaranteed performance version" and push 10S as a positive.

Let's block ads! (Why?)