Microsoft’s latest hardware, the Surface Laptop, is now out in the wild. The device launched in multiple global markets last week, with its Windows 10 S platform along for the ride. Launched in May, the OS is Microsoft’s education-focused version of Windows 10. Microsoft has today announced it is changing a recent policy regarding Windows 10 S and Windows 10 Pro.
Shortly after announcing Windows 10 S, Microsoft said it would allow users to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for free. This made sense because it would open the Surface Laptops to business users, as well as education ones. Microsoft said at the time this upgrade offer would be available until the end of this year.
After the deadline passes, customers will have to pay $49 to upgrade. However, what about users who may want to revert to Windows 10 S at some point. Well, Microsoft had previously said that the upgrade to Windows 10 Pro was a one-way ticket, but has now opened a path back to the education platform.
The company has rolled out a recovery image of Windows 10 S version 1703. These files are available from the official support page. From here, users choose the Surface Laptop from the list of devices. Next enter the product serial number and download the 9GB recovery image.
Moving back to Windows 10 S will wipe all data on the Surface Laptop. It is worth saving anything important before essentially turning the hardware back to factory settings. Microsoft had previously said security issues from apps were the reason for not path backwards. Clearing the data will obviously remove those concerns.
Windows 10 S
Microsoft launched its latest version of Windows 10 last month. The platform is an education-focused OS that is lighter than the normal Win10 build.
It only runs applications that are available in the Windows Store, which Microsoft says improves security on devices. The company released its Office apps on the Store last week.
Windows 10 S was created to combat Google’s Chrome OS-powered Chromebooks. Microsoft believes Chrome has severe limitations, such as it need to be always connected. The company debuted Windows 10 S to give customers what it thinks is a more complete choice.
Like Chromebooks, devices running Windows 10 S can be affordable, but the software offers more. It does not need to be connected and can run full (32-bit) desktop applications.
