By Billy Z.
Microsoft has just launched Windows 10 S, a stripped-down version of Windows 10 streamlined towards use in the education sector. Windows 10 S is not an update to Windows 10, but a separate version to be installed in school classroom computers or student laptops. This could be huge in Singapore, especially since our society is so focused on education and learning. So, why is this new operating system so great for education? Let’s take a look.
Windows 10 S –high performance, fast education centric OS with great battery
Windows 10 is no doubt a popular education platform because of its versatility – however, the flexibility of the OS can be a double-edged sword too. Working with apps, systems and other gadgets can get complex fast, and in the classroom environment, students can also get easily distracted with entertainment apps and games – and may even unintentionally download malicious apps or viruses.
Microsoft’s vision is for teachers and students to get straight to learning while in the classroom without distractions, and to work with these apps and gadgets through a simple, fast and secure version of Windows. As such, they developed Windows 10 S. Windows 10 S is blazing fast – users can set up a Windows 10 S device via USB in just 30 seconds, and the OS boots up in 15 seconds flat. As the system is lightweight, it delivers significantly better battery life as compared to Windows 10. Microsoft’s new 13.5 inch, 1080p touchscreen Surface Laptop lasts up to 14.5 hours on a single charge, while other Windows 10 devices in the similar category usually last nine to 12 hours.
Ensuring performance and security at the cost of absolute simplicity
However, speed, simplicity and security comes at a cost – Microsoft achieves this speedy, streamlined experience by only allowing apps from the Windows Store to be installed on Windows 10 S devices. If a user attempts to install an app on Windows 10 S, a pop-up appears informing the user politely that this is not possible, and redirects them to a smiliar app on the Windows Store.
This restriction is a massive inconvenience to most users who are familiar with the full capabilities of Windows. However, Microsoft reiterates that 10 S is mainly for education – these limitations in place to ensure that devices can run well and run fast so that teaching can be carried out without interruptions. Apps in the Windows Store are first verified for security, and then locally run in a safe “container”. In the classroom, this ensures fast login times and consistent performance, enabling everyone in the classroom to start learning quickly. This is also done in the interests of security as well – limiting the installation of apps to those only listed on the store will prevent students from downloading any third party apps which could contain viruses or malware.
Windows store – a streamlined experience or a limitation to learning?
A large concern about Windows Store Apps is their design, quality and popularity as compared to other app stores such as iOS, MacOS and Google Play. Windows Store apps are usually streamlined for use on many devices with many different specifications, and as such they are typically feature light and very simple as compared to their third-party counterparts. Frankly, they are not updated well and not a lot of major app developers list their apps on the Windows Store.
Fortunately, Microsoft has assured us that the full versions of popular 32-bit desktop apps popular with educators, such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop Express, Autodesk Sketchbook and many others, will be available in the store soon. Windows 10 S will also support many gadgets used in learning, such as Arudino boards and VR headsets for education. Students also need not worry as Windows 10 S supports any browser in the Windows Store – they can use browser apps such as Google Drive and Docs, Outlook Web Mail, Slack, and even Whatsapp Web for school work.
Upgrade from Windows 10 S to 10 Pro for USD$49
Eventually, students will ‘outgrow’ the limited environment of Windows 10 S, and like everyone else, need a full version of Windows for work. Thankfully, Microsoft has made an upgrading Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro possible anytime, indefinitely. Upgrading costs USD$49, and users can do this through the Windows Store.
Productivity for teachers and IT departments
In addition to the streamlined, speedy experience for Windows 10 S end users, Microsoft is helping IT professionals and teachers by doing the same speedy streamlining for device installation and software deployment. Previously, educators had to individually install, set up and maintain devices which could get time consuming if they had to work with many computers. Ricardo Garmedia, an IT professional from the Renton School District, USA, said that his department supported 850 classrooms with a whopping total of 11,000 Windows devices, and that they were completely overwhelmed with the amount of work they had to do each week.
To help get around the tedious, time consuming installation process, Microsoft has created a “Set Up School PC” app on the Windows Store which enables educators and IT professionals set up of entire classrooms of devices with customized experiences using a USB stick, in as little as 30 seconds per device. This is huge, as most Windows installations are usually time consuming and can take up an hour to complete. Teachers and professionals can also use Microsoft Intune for Education to mass configure settings in multiple Windows 10 devices. Intune for Education’s express setup makes it easy for administrators to set default settings for all the devices and users in a class or school in minutes. Schools can customize over 150 granular settings, assign them to a student and apply them to hardware, apps, browsers, the start menu, Windows Defender and more. These settings follow the user to any device when they sign in.
Affordability and Accessibility – Windows 10 S devices start at USD$189
As the focus of Windows 10 S is on education, Microsoft seeks to make the OS and its devices available to all – whether they are high schoolers, college students, graduate students or teachers.
Microsoft’s partners, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, Fujitsu, HP, Samsung, and Toshiba, are now offering a large range of Windows 10 devices for education starting from a very affordable USD$189 (S$264) —from powerful and affordable Windows Ink and touch PCs to beautiful premium devices.
To sweeten the deal of purchasing a Windows 10 S device even further, Microsoft is offering teachers and students some really great bundled products and promotions such as:
At the end of the day – is Windows 10 S good?
Windows 10 S is perfect for students and teachers. However, Windows 10 S is not for gamers, creatives, or power users who work with many third party applications.
The operating system is built for the education sector and specifically made for a fast, productive and digitally enhanced learning experience. Software features are extremely streamlined for speed and security, but quite lacking as compared to the full version of Windows 10 – users can only install apps from the Windows Store, and nowhere else. We asked students what they felt about using Windows 10 S, and several of them felt that while the OS was very limited, they would trade functionality for speed if it meant that they could complete their school work better and faster. We also spoke to Tan Siok Bin, a special needs educator in Singapore, about Windows 10 S and her thoughts about Microsoft’s new operating system: “Many schools today encourage kids as young as eight years old to bring a laptop or smart device to class. Students are supposed to use laptops for learning, reading, and group work and can benefit greatly from it, but many of them tend to get distracted by online entertainment. Restricting the installation of apps will help them to focus better and be more productive.” It goes beyond a doubt that this OS is for teachers and education IT professionals too – the specific apps and features built into Windows 10 S help to speed up the process of installing, deploying and maintaining devices and software. Pricing wise, these devices are very attractive options for students who can’t afford premium devices popular for education such as Macbooks – which cost from S$1800 to S$3800, depending on the model. The cheapest of Windows for Education devices even beats the pricing of Samsung’s Android tablets and Apple’s iPads, which usually start from S$500. Windows 10 for Education devices are also great options for families or individuals who just want a barebones PC for basic work, play or home theatre purposes. Windows 10 S could also be a potential OS of choice for companies who wish to deploy devices for specific purposes. As security and speed is prioritized, there are many potential applications for companies: this could range using affordable Windows 10 S devices as point-of-sale computers, information terminals in libraries or rental laptops.
Windows 10 S launches in Summer – unfortunately, local availability and device pricing in Singapore has not been announced yet. Stay tuned to Thirty Seven Tech and TechOut Singapore for more news on Microsoft and Windows.
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