Microsoft Unveils 7 Different Versions of Windows 10

[dgstorm]

This news is a bit of a head-scratcher and disappointment. Microsoft officially shared that there will be seven different versions of Windows 10! Here's the breakdown:

• Windows 10 Home: The consumer-focused desktop edition.
• Windows 10 Mobile: Brings universal Windows 10 apps to mobile devices.
• Windows 10 Pro: The desktop edition for PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s meant for small businesses.
• Windows 10 Enterprise: An upgraded version of Windows 10 Pro for larger organizations.
• Windows 10 Education: Meets the needs of schools; available through academic Volume Licensing.
• Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise: Intended for business customers on smartphones and tablets.
• Windows 10 IoT: For small footprint, low cost devices like gateways.

What's disappointing about this is that Microsoft touted moving everything to a unified platform, and this somewhat throws cold water on that. Yes, they are obviously transitioning all of their different product lines to Windows 10, but because these are all different versions, it just makes the whole thing seem a bit convoluted.

This seems like an over-complication of the whole Windows 10 branding, which is the opposite of the impressive simplifications Microsoft has shifted toward over the past few months. Ultimately, it may not be that big of a deal depending on how different these products are from each other. In the end, it could just be a marketing game of semantics.

What do you guys think of this announcement?

Source: Microsoft

 

[hughlle]

While i agree with you to a point, i think it must also be taken into account that 99% of consumers will not be aware of anything more than windows home/pro and as a slim possibility, mobile.

I think that in terms of unified, all versions will have the same unified feature set, but with versions like enterprise having additional functionality that a consumer would have absolutely no use for so isn't really relevant. You could also argue that the unified experience only really needs to exist for the consumer market. Don't think that an enterprise is going to be that interested in their OS being unified with an xbox.

 

[azarc3]

This news is a bit of a head-scratcher and disappointment. Microsoft officially shared that there will be seven different versions of Windows 10! Here's the breakdown:

• Windows 10 Home: The consumer-focused desktop edition.
• Windows 10 Mobile: Brings universal Windows 10 apps to mobile devices.
• Windows 10 Pro: The desktop edition for PCs, tablets and 2-in-1s meant for small businesses.
• Windows 10 Enterprise: An upgraded version of Windows 10 Pro for larger organizations.
• Windows 10 Education: Meets the needs of schools; available through academic Volume Licensing.
• Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise: Intended for business customers on smartphones and tablets.
• Windows 10 IoT: For small footprint, low cost devices like gateways.

What's disappointing about this is that Microsoft touted moving everything to a unified platform, and this somewhat throws cold water on that. Yes, they are obviously transitioning all of their different product lines to Windows 10, but because these are all different versions, it just makes the whole thing seem a bit convoluted.

This seems like an over-complication of the whole Windows 10 branding, which is the opposite of the impressive simplifications Microsoft has shifted toward over the past few months. Ultimately, it may not be that big of a deal depending on how different these products are from each other. In the end, it could just be a marketing game of semantics.

What do you guys think of this announcement?

Source: Microsoft

Not really a problem. The core kernel is still shared; those different SKUs are about licensing, not the capabilities of the bits. Of course the Enterprise will have things enabled that are Enterprise-specific, like domain joining and what not. Other than that it doesn't change the ability to code one and use everywhere.

 

[dgstorm]

Great points!

 

[Alucardi]

What version will we as surface pro 1/2/3 users get?

 

[jnjroach]

What version will we as surface pro 1/2/3 users get?

Windows 10 Pro....

 

[TunaSurface]

Am I wrong in saying previous installments of Windows also had several versions for different purposes?
The thing is I don't know. And I wouldn't know about different versions of windows 10 either if it wasn't for this post. Although 7 seems a bit much..