Microsoft announced Windows 10 S, an education-focused version of the desktop operating system, at an education event in New York Tuesday, May 2.
The company will also launch the Surface Laptop, its flagship Windows 10 S device on June 15.
The main difference between Windows 10 S and the versions of Windows 10 that are currently being used today is that it can only run apps from the Windows Store. Because of this, Microsoft hopes that the operating system can provide faster sign-in times and better battery life.
It also makes Microsoft Edge the default browser and Bing the default search engine. Neither of these can be changed.
Windows 10 S is also cloud manageable for teachers and administrators (like Windows 10 Pro), and syncs to Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage platform by default unlike other editions.
As of now, none of these restrictions are known to be migrating to any other version of Windows 10.
Grasswire reached out to Microsoft for comment on how the company plans to differentiate Windows 10 S for consumers, but hasn’t received a response.
Windows 10 S can be upgraded to Windows 10 Pro in the Windows Store for $49 for end users and free for educators.