Tuesday Microsoft had an event to announce it’s latest products. One item of note they released is a new version of Windows that is fairly locked down to help them compete with Chromebooks and the Chrome OS operating system. Many schools have been using Chromebooks due to their inexpensive price tag, and locked down operating system.
Much like Microsoft attempted with the tablet version Windows RT, 10S will be limited to only apps from the Windows Store. You will not be able to install any program that isn’t available as an app. If Microsoft is going to obtain a broad user base, they will still need to work on getting companies to create app versions of their programs to be available through the Store.
Another limitation of the new Windows 10S will be the browser. You will still be able to download and install a browser from the Store, but the default browser will remain Edge. Meaning when you click a link in an email, it will always open in Edge, no matter which other browsers you have installed. Edge will also lock you into Bing searches from the app itself. Obviously, you can still hit up google.com and perform your searches there.
If you do purchase a bargin computer, and want to upgrade it to Windows 10 Pro because you are feeling too limited with 10S, you can do so for an additional $49. Microsoft is banking on improved security and performance as a big selling point for Windows 10S. They will just have to overcome a big hurdle with marketplace confusion. Something that looks and acts like Windows 10, but has severe limitations, can make a person feel like maybe their computer is broken.