Windows 10 S was announced today. It is not necessarily a more advanced version of the OS, but is a more stripped down version, that promises to offer better performance and loading times. Here are five features to get the public – most notably, the education market – excited about the new OS.
1) Will not ever wear down
Windows 10 S is aimed at delivering only the core modules required in order to function. This means that no other applications apart from those downloaded from the Windows Store will be allowed to function or be downloaded. This will boost management of apps and will also make the system smoother to operate, considering there will not be background tasks for the system to take on, as is with those apps that are downloaded from the web. Because of this, battery life and processing power usually take a hit. With Windows 10 S it won’t.
2) Bringing the cloud to the desk
With Windows 10 S, users, or in this case, students will have their data saved to the cloud by default. While it has always been allowed on general Windows 10 copies, it never usually is made default. This way, back-ups to projects can be and won’t ever be lost.
3) Office 365 and Minecraft Education come free
Microsoft is going to bundle the Windows 10 S versions with a free subscription to Microsoft Office 365 and Minecraft Education Edition. The company is also going to make the Office Suite available on the Windows Store. Minecraft will help students through its interactive block-building via coding
4) It will log in faster
The new log in is much faster than the regular log in process in most Windows 10 devices, mostly because of the streamlined nature of the platform. Windows 10 S takes about 15 seconds for a student to log for the very first time.
5) Windows Teams and Upgrading
Windows has also made the collaboration tool for teachers and teams – Windows Teams a lot more functional, adding Slack-like features to the popular group-making app, making it easier for students to interact with the teachers, with even emoji and GIFs included. For administrators who are looking to download web-based apps and desktop apps not available in the store, they will be allowed to upgrade Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro to do so. However, they will not be able to turn back once they have upgraded.
6) It will be perfect for cheap laptops
Considering the platform’s more streamlined and optimized features, it will be a staple on a lot of upcoming cheap laptop variants. Microsoft boasted that the laptops that will feature Windows 10 S on the market will be sold from a starting price of $189. They will be made available from vendors such as Acer, Asus, Dell and HP as well.
Microsoft has been very vocal about their intentions – to make the laptop a lot more education-friendly. Although the OS will also serve its purpose in the IT department, Microsoft aims to bring educators the benefits of having lesser to work with, putting Windows directly into competition with Apple and Chromebook.
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