Microsoft could soon be rebranding its lightweight Windows 10 S operating system as Windows 10 S Mode. According to reports by Thurrott and Neowin, this is being done so that the OS fits better into the company’s portfolio. The Windows 10 S, instead of being a full-fledged OS, will be available as a mode in most versions of Windows.
As per the report, the Windows 10 S will no longer be offered as an SKU by the company and the new S Mode will be available for users running Windows Home, Pro and Enterprise editions. Users upgrading from the Windows 10 Home S to Home for free, whereas the Pro S users will need to pay $49 for upgrading to Pro.
The Thurrott report states that according to Microsoft, 60 percent of users remain on Windows 10 S. Users switching to the full-fledge version of the Windows OS, do so within a day of buying the device. However, if they don’t switch in the first seven days, 83 percent remain running in the S mode. The new mode will reportedly be available to users soon, with an unlock option available for the full version of Windows.
Thurrott also reports that as per Microsoft, there will be Security apps in S mode. As per the report, “ Microsoft says that there will be AV/Security apps in S mode. Does this mean that traditional AV software from third-party companies will run in S mode? If so, doesn’t this break the entire premise of what S mode is supposed to be and undercuts the performance aspect of the mode?”
Windows 10 S was launched by Microsoft as a more streamlined and secure version, which works exclusively with apps downloaded from the Microsoft Store. It was showcased by the company in May last year as the Chrome OS competitor and if a user tries to download third party or legacy Windows software, the Windows 10 S OS flags the download and displays two options to either try an app with similar functionality from the Store or upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.