Introducing Windows 10 Editions

http://blogs.windows.com/bloggingwindows/2015/05/13/introducing-windows-10-editions/

by rufus42 • 11 years ago

116 116 11 years ago

blogs.windows.com

ghshephard• 11 years ago

I realize Microsoft has to price segment, which requires they call out an "Enterprise" category for Mobile and Laptop/Desktop, but sometimes I wonder if they really need all of these categories.

For example, do they really get significant financial value from having a Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Education, Windows 10 Pro? particularly as they are offering it as a free upgrade to Windows 7/8 users.

Notice they don't have a Windows 10 Mobile Home, Windows 10 Mobile Education, and Windows 10 Mobile Pro - just plain, "Windows 10 Mobile".

My suspicion is they would have managed to avoid customer confusion, and captured pretty much all the same economic value, with a simple list of:

  Windows 10
  Windows 10 Mobile
  Windows 10 Enterprise
  Windows 10 Mobile Enteprise

33W• 11 years ago

Agreed. I would only add to it their embedded "IoT" version.

bskap• 11 years ago

"Pro" is for people that don't have volume licenses but want the business-specific features like domain joining. Remember, Windows 10 may be a free upgrade, but it's not free and I imagine they still make quite a bit of extra money from businesses buying Pro.

"Education" looks like it's a discounted volume license available to schools. Not sure what extra features it's going to have but it's not something that anyone other than a school administrator will ever care about.

stephengillie4• 11 years ago

I can't tell you how many times I've had coworkers come in with a new device they convinced management to buy them, without my approval, and they've saved a few hundred on the OS by having a Personal edition.

So MS is paid twice there - once for the Personal version that came with the device, and once again for the business buying a single copy of Pro version to install over the Personal version.

daigoba66• 11 years ago

Businesses (large ones anyway) tend to buy Windows Enterprise which only available through volume licensing. Technically the free upgrade is not available for Win7 or Win8 Enterprise (fine print on this page: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-10/about). But if the organization always pays for Software Assurance, that includes upgrades for all covered licenses.

In my experience I see smaller businesses just purchasing hardware with OEM licenses (usually Pro).

Spooky23• 11 years ago

Education exists because Microsoft provides cheaper licensing to schools as a marketing exercise. They also let you buy the license entitlement through volume licensing, so smart schools will buy PCs with FreeDOS or Linux and BYO Windows.

This creates a problem, because the Federal government requires that it receives the lowest possible price for a particular product. So they carve out the education market as a separate SKU.

mreiland• 11 years ago

Does Windows 7 Pro upgrade to Windows 10 Pro?

sonnyz2• 11 years ago

I agree. A simple "Windows 10" with no subtitle would really make things easier for the consumer. Appending 'Home' on what is really a feature reduced version of Windows 10 doesn't seem to be in the best interest of the customer.

wernercd• 11 years ago

Define "Feature Reduced"? Lack of Domain? HyperV? Remote Desktop options?

What features are people "losing" with Home that 95% of "Home" users "need"?

Sure... You and I can't live without half of those things, but home users generally won't notice - or care - if HyperV is missing.

You pay more for Pro/Enterprise because it has added features that Power Users/Businesses need.

Glass Half Empty/Full... Potato/Patato... Home isn't feature reduced... Pro is feature added. Enterprise is feature complete.

If you want feature reduced... look into versions like Starter Edition - http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_7-w...

wvenable4• 11 years ago

The editions make sense for market segmentation. Home editions cannot join a domain so that rules them out for business and education. Then they want to price segment between schools and business which makes the distinction between Education and Enterprise.

Pro is sort of the consumer version of Enterprise; it can join a domain too. I run 8.1 pro, not because of the join a domain feature, but because it can host a remote desktop session and home cannot.

arthurfm• 11 years ago

Home editions cannot join a domain so that rules them out for business and education.

The Home edition of Windows 10 sounds like it might be able to join Azure Active Directory. [1]

Support for modern form factors. Azure AD Join will work on devices that don't have the traditional domain join capabilities.

[1] http://blogs.technet.com/b/ad/archive/2015/05/13/azure-activ...

iamthepieman• 11 years ago

I run 8.1 pro on my personal PCs because I need hyper-v and remote desktop for development. I would be happy to buy a "home" edition if it came with the those features but MS captured my additional dollars for the pro edition precisely because I did need them.

Most people are getting OEM editions of Windows anyways. Anyone installing an OS on bare hardware is not going to be put off by confusion between SKUs.

sp3322• 11 years ago

It's only free as an upgrade, and even that is time-limited. New copies will still cost money.

ikeboy• 11 years ago

What seems to be new in this announcement is that if you do upgrade for free, you get that for life. Before it wasn't clear if you'd need to pay subscription fees afterwards.

Plus, you can still get retail Win7 DVDs at under $100, then upgrade for free to Win10 Pro.

grandalf• 11 years ago

My suspicion is they would have managed to avoid customer confusion, and captured pretty much all the same economic value, with a simple list of:

You are probably right, but doing so would have cost MS a significant amount of money. This is an entrenched company trying to avoid killing so many cash cows.

Likely the biggest motivation for this segmentation/pricing strategy is profit extraction from existing, business customers.

jeswin2• 11 years ago

OK they messed it up, again? Anyone with a laptop preloaded with the crippled Home edition (meaning most laptops) will not be able to take it to the work place and connect it to the domain. Then there's Pro and Enterprise, and most people don't know why they need Enterprise.

wvenable4• 11 years ago

You just pay for the upgrade to Pro which you can do from within the OS.

cp9• 11 years ago

why would you take your home computer and connect it to the workplace?

mkr-hn• 11 years ago

"why would you take your home computer and connect it to the workplace?"

- Blackberry

jeswin2• 11 years ago

You should Google up and see how common this problem really is. My example, I am a consultant. But I do have domain accounts in companies I consult. The OS that came with the machine (windows 7 home) had to be written over since it won't let me log in.

The point being, it's such an artificial restriction. Most PCs are laptops, and this really restricts mobility.

0xffff22• 11 years ago

And where do you work that this is even allowed? Maybe it's only because I work for the Federal government, but there is not a snowball's chance in hell that I would be allowed to attach my personal machine to the non-guest network in any way.

adamkochanowicz2• 11 years ago

I do this all the time.

jameshart• 11 years ago

BYOD (bring your own device) is the big noise in corporate IT, has been for a while. Now, it started with iPhones and macs and iPads, but if your staff have, for example, a Surface Pro 3 they like to use, you want some way for them to be able to use it in the corporate network environment, right?

Now, I'd question whether the right way to handle that is to join it to the Windows domain (I'd question whether having a Windows domain is the right way to handle ANYTHING in fact), but it's definitely a part of the corporate IT landscape nowadays, and MS should have some sort of a story for how you can do it.

worklogin2• 11 years ago

This is against so many IT security best practices, you're probably breaking a regulation if you're in an industry not dealing with selling jewelry on Etsy.

fragmede2• 11 years ago

While you're right, BYOD has been an on-going headache in IT for several years now. It's one thing to say unapproved devices are completely not allowed, but reality is when the CEO brings in their shiny new iPad and demands it get on the office wifi, the iPad gets onto the network (however heavily segmented and firewalled).

bpye• 11 years ago

Some devices include Windows 8.1 Pro, see for example the Surface Pro 3.

bkurtz13• 11 years ago

I was expecting to see a gold version for $10,000...

stephengillie4• 11 years ago

Why were you expecting this?

nandhp• 11 years ago

Title reminds OP of Apple Watch Editions, which are gold and cost $10,000: http://store.apple.com/us/buy-watch/apple-watch-edition

sizzzzlerz• 11 years ago

One thing I haven't discovered yet is whether the installation of 10 is going to be a brand new install rather than an upgrade. In other words, will it be necessary to reinstall all my applications after moving to 10?

wvenable4• 11 years ago

An upgrade; the underlying technology in Windows hasn't changed significantly since Vista.

stephengillie4• 11 years ago

It reminds me of the Model Year - We're still on Windows Model Year 2008.

tracker13• 11 years ago

In the same vein... Windows Vista hadn't changed significantly since XP, or XP since 2000, or 2000 since NT 3.5.1, etc. It's all iterative and subject to perspective here.

dm2• 11 years ago

Necessary? Probably not.

But you should anyways.

0xffff22• 11 years ago

It isn't 2001 anymore.

kej• 11 years ago

The technical previews have offered an upgrade option, but that's not guarantee it will be included in the final version. Either way, it's almost always better to do a full reinstall for a major version like this.

ed_blackburn• 11 years ago

There's (quite rightly) been a bit of a fuss of late regarding the modular, paired down kernel. Why not offer the features above Home via the app / business store? CAL can still work. Then you have Windows, Windows Mobile and IoT?

one presumes inertia and marketing are the biggest drivers behind these editions.

bad_user4• 11 years ago

I don't get it - can you upgrade a Windows 8.1 standard to Win10 Pro?

tdicola• 11 years ago

No mention of Windows 10 IoT? Is it still going to live in some weird licensing limbo zone where it's only for preview and not for normal people to buy and use?

edit: Oh geeze I missed it, it's appparently part of 'Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise'... seriously?

chadzawistowski2• 11 years ago

No, I think you misinterpreted it.

There will also be versions of Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise for industry devices like ATMs, retail point of sale, handheld terminals and industrial robotics

conversational pause

and Windows 10 IoT Core for small footprint, low cost devices like gateways.

forgotAgain• 11 years ago

They are too focused on the one OS for everything meme. Apple does it better with iOS and MacOS. Yes you will (presumably) be able to run Office across all devices but they're not really the same programs on each platform. The UI will still be different because it has to be.

guardian5x• 11 years ago

The UI will adapt on the Universal App Plattform as well, because it has to. So not really sure where the argument for Apple is here. A good analogy is responsive design for websites. It can have a few advantages to have a mobile and a desktop version seperate, but i don't think its always better, and i don't think its the future.

hendersoon• 11 years ago

Hah, Microsoft's DNA returns with a vengeance.

They tried to change, but couldn't /not/ segment their market, even if it impairs the customer experience. That's the MS we all know and love!

Erwin• 11 years ago

Why can't it be as simple as Linux?

If I want Redhat commercial support I simply have to decide between Standard or Premium Subscription with, or without Smart Management, normal or Entry level. Or the version for virtual Datacenters (if you want to run VMs with RHEL inside them the pricing is of course different). That's for x86 32/64 bit -- of course, if you want IBM POWER processor support, that is a different product with different pricing -- can't expect to use the same licensing model for a different CPU!

And if you want to run Red Hat on a Desktop, that too is a different product.

So in a total, 18 different versions of Linux: https://www.redhat.com/wapps/store/catalog.html

bad_user4• 11 years ago

While for support packages you might be looking at multiple options, Linux distributions generally come in the Awesome edition only.

chasing2• 11 years ago

Dear Microsoft,

Windows 10.

Just release Windows 10.

No one knows the difference between Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Extreme and Windows 10 Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Supreme. Your customers actually don't care.

And as long as you keep selling a baffling array of variations on the same product, no one will believe you've turned over a new leaf.

Windows 10.

With love,

Guy on the Internet

PS: There should be no "it's even more secure" version. They should all be "even more secure."

blumkvist7• 11 years ago

Making money.

You don't know how to.

yathern2• 11 years ago

Actually, he has a point. Too many choices can harm sales significantly. Granted, in Microsoft's position, it's not as applicable.

https://www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/research-too-many-choi...

https://blog.kissmetrics.com/too-many-choices/

dsg42• 11 years ago

This is information for IT people, and you're treating it like it's for consumers. Consumers will only ever know about Windows 10 Home. The other options are important because:

Windows 10 Enterprise costs roughly ten times as much.

Windows 10 Education is the discounted version that they sell to schools (Apple has a similar program, they just don't tell you about it.)

Windows 10 Mobile because, well...

Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise because, again, they want to make money.

Windows is one of the top 5 most profitable software products in the world. Trust that they know how to make money.

bhauer• 11 years ago

You might be right, but does Windows 10 Pro include any features that have previously been exclusive to Windows 8/8.1 Pro, such as Bitlocker and Remote Desktop? The wording of the blog post is intentionally obfuscated to not name the technologies that are added to Windows 10 Pro, but I think it's clear they are keeping Bitlocker and Remote Desktop exclusive to the Pro edition from the following:

Windows 10 Pro helps to effectively and efficiently manage their devices and apps, protect their sensitive business data, support remote and mobile productivity scenarios...

I use Bitlocker and frequently remote from any of my Windows PCs to any of the others. So I have Windows 8.1 Pro installed on (nearly) all of them, at non-trivial cost to me.

I agree with the grandparent that for any home user, there should be one edition, and that one edition should include Bitlocker and Remote Desktop. And any other feature that home enthusiasts and evangelists are likely to want. Microsoft desperately needs to stop punishing its evangelists. Evangelists should be courted and treated well.

drrotmos• 11 years ago

I'm fairly sure many consumers will know about Windows 10 Pro though.

pXMzR2A• 11 years ago

Windows is one of the top 5 most profitable software products in the world. Trust that they know how to make money.

Monopolization of the markets. I do trust it, but only when I do it. ;)

amyjess• 11 years ago

It could worse. We could have ended up with the mess Vista had.

adamkochanowicz2• 11 years ago

Beautifully put.

ausjke• 11 years ago

Please Microsoft, just one Windows 10, the technical side sounds great(one OS runs everywhere) but your marketing guy is messing things up, the list of various window10 flavors made me dizzy and I had to quit reading quickly.

fl0wenol• 11 years ago

There's really only two versions here for people buying it for themselves. One for mobile, and one for non-mobile.

Everything else is variations for the hows and wheres.

The list is really for the IT pro getting ready to figure out what SKU he/she needs come next fiscal.

They don't call it all the same thing because you're not being priced the same way; there's other considerations.

joshstrange2• 11 years ago

Good lord... With all the stride MS has made and they STILL insist on releasing 1 million different versions of Windows... How stupid do you have to be to continue to do this?

blumkvist7• 11 years ago

Has it ever occurred to you they know better what to do then you?

g0510512• 11 years ago

Considering their abysmal track record, it's pretty clear they don't.

rdsnsca• 11 years ago

For one millionth of a second... that I came to my senses.

HCDevid• 11 years ago

You're crazy man. Where do you get these ideas?

Next you'll tell me that my opinions formed after 10 minutes of perusing a forum are subject to cognitive bias.

mattdeboard• 11 years ago

Hey so what does everyone think of them releasing multiple versions of Windows 10?

rurounijones• 11 years ago

We are also bringing the Xbox gaming experience to Windows 10, giving games and gamers access to the Xbox Live gaming community, enabling the capture and share of gameplay and giving Xbox One owners the ability to play their Xbox One games from any Windows 10 PC in their home.

I do not like the sound of this. It looks like another attempt at the loathed GWFL (Games For Windows Live)

g0510512• 11 years ago

everything from elevators to ATMs to heart rate monitors to wearables

I've never been more frightened in my life. Forget the zombie apocalypse, this is the W10 apocalypse.

PhantomGremlin• 11 years ago

I can't believe people are downvoting this!

Everyone is OK with Windows running elevators? What's next, pacemakers?

jarjoura• 11 years ago

There was an earlier impression (desire?) that Windows 10 was going to do away with this marketing mess of a bazillion different versions. Yet in reality, nothing has changed. All this blog post is doing differently is finally explaining what each version is.

coryl• 11 years ago

Blech, this is not sexy marketing. How do you do a press announcement with no pictures of said greatness? Its pretty pointless to describe your software product with paragraphs.

mcintyre1994• 11 years ago

So if Windows 10 home and pro are both free upgrades, why are they separate? I get the rest is so they can call their mobile OS the same as they call their desktop OS and segmenting enterprise, but why the home/pro distinction?

makecheck• 11 years ago

Unfortunately this kind of complexity isn't just questionable marketing, it propagates to everything else. It makes seamless user experiences needlessly difficult.

For example, imagine trying to create a supporting product, or simply writing instructions on how to do something. You're trying to make sure that the user will see what they're supposed to see but with all these versions you can't assume anything so you have to consider everything. A simple list of bullets suddenly becomes a series of "if you have X, do Y" statements. Everywhere.

When products and companies become this big, a simple and arbitrary choice is all it takes to create unnecessary costs for thousands of organizations around the world.

dman• 11 years ago

This is not granular enough. I wonder if the following features are still missing from Windows 10 pro

1. Multi monitor support in RDP

2. Support for mounting NFS mounts

Of course as in the past the compare windows editions will omit important actual differences like these.

hysan• 11 years ago

And suddenly I feel a lot less excited about possibly switching back to Windows. With 10, I was hoping for a single version for everything going forward. But if Microsoft is going to continue splitting their product lines and making it a headache for me to know which versions have the features I need (ex: RDP), I'm just going to not give them a second chance no matter how much they open source. It's just extra grief that I don't need as a normal end user.

Introducing Windows 10 Editions

Related Stories