Microsoft cooking up version of Windows 10 S for enterprise users

By Dan Thorp-Lancaster
last updated

Microsoft is now cooking up a special version of Windows 10 S for enterprise users.

Surface Laptop
Surface Laptop

Microsoft initially debuted Windows 10 S in May as a primarily education-focused version of Windows 10. However, at Ignite 2017 this week, Microsoft revealed that new Windows 10 S devices for the enterprise are coming later this year. As it turns out, Microsoft is also working on a special version of Windows 10 S for enterprise users as well.

As reported by Neowin, this new version, called Windows 10 Enterprise in S mode, will still be locked down to only install apps from the Windows Store. The main difference is that it will be based on Windows 10 Enterprise, whereas the standard version of Windows 10 S is based on Windows 10 Pro. Just like Windows 10 S users can upgrade to Pro, Enterprise in S mode users will be able to upgrade directly to Windows 10 Enterprise, should they choose.

Windows 10 S Enterprise

Windows 10 Enterprise in S mode will be available in spring 2018. That means it won't be available in time for the launch of new Windows 10 S devices for commercial users later this year, so it seems they'll initially be available with the standard version of Windows 10 S.

Dan Thorp-Lancaster
Dan Thorp-Lancaster

Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the Editor in Chief for Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. Got a hot tip? Send it to daniel.thorp-lancaster@futurenet.com.

8 Comments
  • That name though
  • Microsoft is really good at naming and renaming their products.  They always come up with the catchiest and most descriptive names.
  • That name... Oh my God, my eyes! They're burning!
  • S  for Stupidity.
  • I love the diversity....there is none...thats exactly what windows is for at this point...Enterprise....so ZERO DIVERSITY!
  • Another day, another version of Windows. It is so hard to make one and only one do-it-all version??
    I mean, more versions=more resources to support those versions. Unless we're just part of some sort of bizarre social experiment, aimed to demonstrate how fool and naive a loyal customer can be.
  • No. In this particular case it would be comparatively easy to make one do-it-all version. Windows Home, Professional and Enterprise are all the same "version" of Windows. They are just different "editions". MS segments the market in this way so they can charge those who require more functionality more money. The segmentation exists only for economic reasons. Technically the segmentation is entirely unnecessary. The same can be said of those editions with an "S", which are limited to the Microsoft Store. This denotes little more than an optional configuration, a second mode of operation if you will, which must be specified prior to installing the OS. If you download installation media for the "S" version, your getting essentially the same thing as the corresponding non-"S" version. The difference is only in the included installers (what they install and how they configure Windows). This too exists solely for economic reasons. MS wants to charge less for the "S" editions, but keep charging the same amount for the traditional editions. If it weren't for that difference, the associated "S" branding might as well go away. There is no technical reason for it to exist either. I agree that all of this is rather stupid. In my view MS should offer one desktop edition of the Windows OS. I'd just call it Windows 10 Desktop (as opposed to Windows 10 Server). Period. If it were up to me I'd say anyone could download it for free. This would correspond to what we'd today call "Windows 10 Home S". Once installed you could pay for additional feature packs that would extend the OS with the the features you need. Want to install software from somewhere else than the Microsoft Store? Enable that by downloading the corresponding feature pack from the Store, which will cost you the same amount you previously paid for a Windows Home license. Want the additional features associated with Professional or Enterprise versions? The corresponding feature packs will set you back a corresponding amount. That's no different than today really. The OS itself is the exact same thing for all of these editions. They just include more or less bundled software and/or their default configuraiton (setup by the installer) may vary. IMHO that's how it should be.
  • Enterprise S?  Why?  If stuff doesn't sell then perhaps it's OK to step back and wonder ... "is it me?" Microsoft has now spent half a decade trying to convince the world that there's a post-Windows 7 thing.  In August 2012 the first stink pile of tiles and inconsistency was released.  It really hasn't worked out well since. What will it take for MS to stop saying "it's the customer", and start saying, "is it me?" Let's get back to making a usable OS.  It will mean throwing out LOTS of what has been done in the last 5 years.  And it would set Microsoft on a course for success.