Microsoft reveals all editions of Windows 10

Microsoft has revealed all of the editions of Windows 10 today, giving names to the operating system that will power mobile devices, desktops, business servers, the Xbox and even ATMs and other Internet of Things devices.

The operating system will launch in late July in 111 languages in 190 different countries.

Here is the full list:

Windows 10 Home is the consumer-focused desktop edition. It offers a familiar and personal experience for PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s. Windows 10 Home will help people do great things, both big and small. With it, they will be more productive and have more fun thanks to a long list of new innovations: Cortana, the world's most personal digital assistant; the new Microsoft Edge web browser; Continuum tablet mode for touch-capable devices; Windows Hello face-recognition, iris and fingerprint login; and right out of the box, a broad range of universal Windows apps like Photos, Maps, Mail, Calendar, Music and Video*.

We are also bringing the Xbox gaming experience to Windows 10, giving games and gamers access to the Xbox Live gaming community, enabling the capture and share of gameplay and giving Xbox One owners the ability to play their Xbox One games from any Windows 10 PC in their home.

Windows 10 Mobile is designed to deliver the best user experience on smaller, mobile, touch-centric devices like smartphones and small tablets. It boasts the same, new universal Windows apps that are included in Windows 10 Home, as well as the new touch-optimized version of Office. Windows 10 Mobile offers great productivity, security and management capabilities for customers who use their personal devices at work. In addition, Windows 10 Mobile will enable some new devices to take advantage of Continuum for phone, so people can use their phone like a PC when connected to a larger screen.

Windows 10 Pro is a desktop edition for PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s. Building upon both the familiar and innovative features of Windows 10 Home, it has many extra features to meet the diverse needs of small businesses. Windows 10 Pro helps to effectively and efficiently manage their devices and apps, protect their sensitive business data, support remote and mobile productivity scenarios and take advantage of cloud technologies. Windows 10 Pro devices are a great choice for organizations supporting Choose Your Own Device (CYOD) programs and prosumer customers. Windows 10 Pro also lets customers take advantage of the new Windows Update for Business, which will reduce management costs, provide controls over update deployment, offer quicker access to security updates and provide access to the latest innovation from Microsoft on an ongoing basis.

Windows 10 Enterprise builds on Windows 10 Pro, adding advanced features designed to meet the demands of medium and large sized organizations. It provides advanced capabilities to help protect against the ever-growing range of modern security threats targeted at devices, identities, applications and sensitive company information. Windows 10 Enterprise also supports the broadest range of options for operating system deployment and comprehensive device and app management. It will be available to our Volume Licensing customers, so they can take advantage of the latest innovation and security updates on an ongoing basis. At the same time, they will be able to choose the pace at which they adopt new technology, including the option to use the new Windows Update for Business. With Windows 10, Enterprise customers will also have access to the Long Term Servicing Branch as a deployment option for their mission critical devices and environments. And as with prior versions of Windows, Active Software Assurance customers in Volume Licensing can upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise as part of their existing Software Assurance benefits.

Windows 10 Education builds on Windows 10 Enterprise, and is designed to meet the needs of schools � staff, administrators, teachers and students. This edition will be available through academic Volume Licensing, and there will be paths for schools and students using Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro devices to upgrade to Windows 10 Education.

Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise is designed to deliver the best customer experience to business customers on smartphones and small tablets. It will be available to our Volume Licensing customers. It offers the great productivity, security and mobile device management capabilities that Windows 10 Mobile provides, and adds flexible ways for businesses to manage updates. In addition, Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise will incorporate the latest security and innovation features as soon as they are available.

There will also be versions of Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise for industry devices like ATMs, retail point of sale, handheld terminals and industrial robotics and Windows 10 IoT Core for small footprint, low cost devices like gateways.

Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 Pro will all be free upgrades for legitimate Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 users as long as they upgrade within one year of the OS' launch.

Source:
Microsoft

Written by: Andre Yoskowitz @ 13 May 2015 22:54

Mr-Movies

How about slimming it down to 3 versions for Desktops and two versions for Mobile.

Home
Ultimate
Enterprise

I can't see moving from 7 but who knows until you try 10.

14.5.2015 20:14 #1

KillerBug

At least they are killing off the windows ultimate version that always claims to have new features coming soon, and then never gets any such features.

I am a bit concerned with the descriptions...all of them seem to mention tablets...why even bother with a mobile version if they are going to make the same mistake they made with Windows 8, promised to fix with 8.1, and then didn't fix with 8.1? There is probably some clueless beancounter at microsoft who saw that very few copies of Windows 8 were sold for PC's...and by that logic all the versions should be optimized for tablets and phones, in spite of the fact that this is the reason so few copies of windows 8 were sold for PCs. I guess I can hope for the best...worst case scenario is that the gui works really well on the raspi I have connected to my TV.

Also, MEDIA CENTER IS DEAD!!! I hope they burn the corpse and dump the ashes into acid, which they then blast into the sun.

14.5.2015 20:35 #2

Mr-Movies

They should have kept Ultimate instead of killing it off, as Pro doesn't provide enough of what I want and Enterprise is too expensive for the non-business user. Really from my prospective they could just provide Ultimate which businesses could use if they provided volume licenses, then everyone could configure their versions how they want and professionals would always be able to invoke Super User rights and tools if they need to. But that would be too much to expect from a business these days.

14.5.2015 23:10 #3

mugs

Originally posted by KillerBug: At least they are killing off the windows ultimate version that always claims to have new features coming soon, and then never gets any such features.

I am a bit concerned with the descriptions...all of them seem to mention tablets...why even bother with a mobile version if they are going to make the same mistake they made with Windows 8, promised to fix with 8.1, and then didn't fix with 8.1? There is probably some clueless beancounter at microsoft who saw that very few copies of Windows 8 were sold for PC's...and by that logic all the versions should be optimized for tablets and phones, in spite of the fact that this is the reason so few copies of windows 8 were sold for PCs. I guess I can hope for the best...worst case scenario is that the gui works really well on the raspi I have connected to my TV.

Also, MEDIA CENTER IS DEAD!!! I hope they burn the corpse and dump the ashes into acid, which they then blast into the sun. As for Media Center I use it a lot but not for music. I have a ceton Tuner card that works extremely well with Media Center. There are a lot of us out there who have PVRs

An eye for an eye will makes us all blind. "Mahatma Ghandi"

15.5.2015 05:27 #4

leemoo

To many versions for my liking. Keep it simple!

Must be able to make more money with the more versions they have.

15.5.2015 06:33 #5

Mr-Movies

I'm all for Media Center even though it might not be the best player out there but it certainly doesn't bother me that Windows includes it for those that want to use it.

15.5.2015 06:35 #6

deak91

my fear is the upgrade will be the base model and everything on it will be " if you want to use this feature please buy the full version at a discount."

15.5.2015 11:03 #7

Mr-Movies

That's totally possible but Microsoft like Adobe and a few others are forcing us into leasing and I've heard that will be the model of the next OS or other software suites, and will force me full in on Linux when my version of Windows won't run what I need, since I won't lease software.

15.5.2015 18:08 #8

Interestx

Leasing?

And lose most of the home market & a huge chunk of the business market?

I doubt it, people will simply stop upgrading if they try that & they're just not that stupid, despite what some imagine.

15.5.2015 20:38 #9

Mr-Movies

Originally posted by Interestx: Leasing?

And lose most of the home market & a huge chunk of the business market?

I doubt it, people will simply stop upgrading if they try that & they're just not that stupid, despite what some imagine.
I wish you were right but in fact people are just that dumb and I personally know some kids that are leasing MS software already, 360 line, and Adobe products if you want the latest compatibility you have to lease from them as there is no longer CS6 type suites they ONLY lease.

I have CS6 Suite but if I had the new Canon 7D Mark II camera and wanted to us their highest RAW format I would need to lease Adobe Photoshop 2015 in order to use white balance and many other great features of that format. There are work arounds from what I understand but not without hiccups.

Sad but true.

15.5.2015 21:40 #10

Interestx

I wouldn't apply anecdote in a relatively small market to the wider market.
Ditto anything to do with gaming.

The fact is if they try & force this people will simply stop bothering, look at how people dragged their heels with XP for so long (with a large chunk still doing so), for instance, both business & personal.

Not going to happen.
Well, not for a long time, I certainly don't see it this time around.

16.5.2015 08:31 #11

Mr-Movies

They may they may not but that has nothing to do with what they are planning to do and like I've said Adobe has already done it, and it hasn't hurt them. Microsoft will do it and whether it hurts them or not this time we will see. It won't be the first time they have shot themselves in the foot by a long shot and my guess is it will work since people are into the new marketing Cloud crap and the idea that if they lease their software they will always have whatever the latest software out there is, and will be the hook. That is true with the people I know already doing it whether or not you or I think it's dumb.

XP is a good argument and is what I touched on that I would do but again just because I'm going to milk Windows 7 for a decade doesn't change what MS is going to do or Adobe or any of the other software companies heading in this direction. Companies see big dollars and security in this method just like Cable and Satellite companies did so many years ago.

I didn't say this release, Windows 10 will be normal distribution but the next OS released will be the new model.

Tighten your belt it is coming.

16.5.2015 10:07 #12

LordRuss

Originally posted by Mr-Movies: I can't see moving from 7 but who knows until you try 10.
I'm right there with you...

http://onlyinrussellsworld.blogspot.com

17.5.2015 05:44 #13

Mr-Movies

Originally posted by LordRuss: Originally posted by Mr-Movies: I can't see moving from 7 but who knows until you try 10.
I'm right there with you...
I agree too but like you I would have to try 10 to see, I'm guessing not though.

17.5.2015 09:51 #14

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