A "full" version of Windows which only lets you install Microsoft-approved apps, Windows 10 S will be a hard sell for some parents.
Microsoft launched some impressive new notebooks overnight aimed at students, along with a new version of Windows 10 aimed at the education market. Windows 10 S' big selling point is that it's locked down to the Microsoft App store, which might sound great for people who manage education computers but isn't necessarily great for the families who own those computers.
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Not only is Windows 10 S unable to install Windows software which wasn't downloaded via Microsoft's app store, Microsoft tells me that it's also unable to install drivers which aren't approved by Microsoft – which could be bad news if you own an old printer or other hardware which isn't officially supported.
In an effort to enhance security and extend battery life, Windows 10 S runs applications in secure isolated containers and has fewer applications and services running in the background. It also streamlines the process of installing software updates.
This all sounds attractive in the classroom if you're responsible for ensuring that the computers are up and running every day. It's clear that Windows 10 S is designed to combat the success of Google's Chromebooks in the education space, which can't run Windows desktop apps and are basically restricted to running the desktop Chrome browser.
We don't yet have Australian pricing so it remains to be seen if Windows 10 S will save you any money compared to buying a machine running a fully-featured version of Windows 10.
Keep it simple
Schools buying fleets of Windows notebooks to distribute in the classroom for hotdesking will likely see the appeal of Windows 10 S, especially as it supports Microsoft's remote management features.
The new version of Windows doesn't sound like such a good deal if you're a parent purchasing a Windows machine for the student in your life. Windows 10 S might be an idiot-proof way to secure computers, but owners will eventually bump up against its limitations.
There's no way for students, parents or teachers to override Windows 10 S' restrictions if you need to install software which isn't in the Microsoft App store. If you come across a traditional application which you really can't live without, your only option is to pay US$50 for a permanent upgrade to Windows 10 Pro – with no option to revert to Windows 10 S.
Surely it would make more sense to introduce the concept of locked-down Student user accounts to all versions of Windows 10, offering the benefits of Windows 10 S when required but still allowing you to boot into a Standard user account when you need it.
The ability to lock any user account to the Microsoft App store has been spotted in the latest preview build of Windows 10, so it seems overkill to knobble an entire computer just to achieve this.
Is there an app for that?
Windows 10 S wouldn't seem so bad if you knew that the Microsoft App store contained every application that your child might ever need, but it doesn't.
Traditional applications can be rewritten for the Universal Windows Platform, designed to run on Windows 10 desktop and mobile devices. It's also possible for developers to port traditional applications to the Microsoft App store using Desktop Bridge, previously known as Project Centennial, but standard installer files won't run on Windows 10 S.
While it's improved over the last few years, the Microsoft App store is still reminiscent of the early Apple and Google mobile app stores – it's predominantly filled with dodgy freeware and there's a dearth of decent productivity apps and high-end games.
For starters you can't install third-party games or Steam, which is an instant deal-breaker if you don't want to buy your child separate computers for work and play. Even if you're happy to keep their computer games-free, you're missing out on plenty of great free utilities like OpenOffice, FileZilla, Audacity, GIMP, Chrome and iTunes as well as third-party cloud storage and backup tools.
Instead you're encouraged to buy productivity apps and stay within the Microsoft ecosystem. You're also locked to Microsoft Edge as the default browser and Bing as the default search engine.
Windows 10 S will also come up short if your child wants to install educational software which isn't in the Microsoft App store, which includes anything from Scratch to the clunky old software and drivers supplied with some robotics kits.
The next Windows RT?
At this point Windows 10 S sounds a lot like the ill-fated Windows RT which physically couldn't run standard Windows applications because of hardware limitations. With Windows 10 S the hardware is theoretically capable of running any Windows application, it just won't let you.
It's true that Chromebooks have the same restrictions, but I wouldn't buy one of those for my son at high school either, for the same reasons. It's also true that some students already face these issues on their own Windows computers, purchased via their school or retail partner, which don't grant them admin rights to install their own software. This leads to some very unhappy students and parents.
Windows 10 S might be designed with fleets of classroom-bound education notebooks in mind, but there are plenty of schools in Australia which expect students to purchase a computer outright via the school or retailer partner. They can expect a major backlash if they intend to foist Windows 10 S on students.
If Windows 10 S ends up on the retail shelves, shop assistants will also be tasked with explaining that, just like Windows RT, this Windows machine doesn't do everything you think it might.
Would the students in your life be satisfied with the limitations of Windows 10 S on a computer which you've purchased outright? What kinds of security precautions do you take on student machines?
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