14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has just released official Windows 10 ISO images on MSDN, allowing developers and IT pros to manually download and install the company’s latest OS version on their devices.
While there’s no indication whether the company wants to make these ISOs publicly available – the chances are that it’s not though, the images are mostly supposed to help developers try out their apps for the operating system before submitting them to the Windows Store.
As far as consumers go, only a few people are likely to be interested in such an operating system, as Windows 10 S is primarily aimed at the education sector, coming with a series of limitations that aren’t targeted at the home user.
Windows 10 S
Announced earlier this year and coming pre-installed on the Surface Laptop, Windows 10 S is a Windows 10 version that is restricted to the Windows Store. This means that Win32 software cannot be installed, and users only have to live with apps that are published in the Store.
Microsoft sees this as the ultimate security feature because typical Windows malware can’t infect your files, as all apps published in the Windows Store are supposed to be 100 percent clean, but on the other hand, the lack of some apps from the Store could become painful to say the least.
This is why Microsoft is giving Windows 10 S users the option to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro using a built-in feature introduced in this regard, with Surface Laptop buyers allowed to perform the switch at no cost by the end of this year.
For everyone else buying devices that are powered by Windows 10 S, the cost of upgrade varies by a series of factors, but it shouldn’t be priced at more than $50.
It remains to be seen how successful Windows 10 S proves to be in just a couple of months, as Microsoft hopes that the back-to-school shopping frenzy would boost sales of its new operating system and devices running it.