Microsoft To Add Windows 10 S Mode to All Editions and Drop Switch Fee

Windows 10 in "S mode" soon will be available in all Windows 10 editions, and Microsoft plans to drop a proposed charge for users wanting to switch from S mode.

Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president for Windows, described those changes briefly in a Wednesday announcement. When the next Windows 10 update arrives, it'll be possible to buy a new Windows 10 PC with S mode, regardless of the edition.

"Starting with the next update to Windows 10, coming soon, customers can choose to buy a new Windows 10 Home or Windows 10 Pro PC with S mode enabled, and commercial customers will be able to deploy Windows 10 Enterprise with S mode enabled," Belfiore explained.

Windows 10 S, in essence, was "Windows 10 Pro in S mode," as veteran Microsoft reporter Mary Jo Foley previously reported. Now the S mode option will be available in Windows 10 Home and Enterprise editions, too. Presumably, it'll be in the Education edition, as well, since the Education edition is nearly the same thing as the Enterprise edition.

Microsoft was planning to charge Windows 10 S users $49 to switch to Windows 10 Pro after March 31 after initially offering a free upgrade. However, Belfiore suggested that switching from S mode will be free.

"If a customer does want to switch out of S mode, they will be able to do so at no charge, regardless of edition," Belfiore stated.

Microsoft's Windows 10 S FAQ has explained that switching from Windows 10 S to Windows 10 Pro is a one-way switch. It can't be undone, and presumably that could be true for other Windows 10 editions.

Media accounts are already referring to Redstone 4's official name as the "Spring Creators Update" (version 1803) because of some code that was unearthed in an early test version. Version 1803 of Windows 10 is expected to arrive in April, according to an article by Foley.

Source: RedmondMag