Microsoft announced today that it will make Windows 10 S available to developers and education customers. But sorry, Windows Insiders and other enthusiasts: It will not make Windows 10 S available for testing to consumers.
Windows 10 S should be live on MSDN by the time you read this. You will need a (paid, expensive) MSDN subscription to access this software.
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“We’re releasing [Windows 10 S] today to developers because we want to be sure they are testing Windows 10 S,” a Microsoft statement notes. “We especially want EDU-focused developers to continue to innovate and make apps that teachers and students would use from the Windows Store.”
Next week, Microsoft will make Windows 10 S available to its Education customers alongside an Update Assistant tool. This will help these customers “make informed buying decisions regarding Windows 10 Pro EDU or Windows 10 S for their schools,” Microsoft says.
But it’s not for you. So Microsoft has not answered my call to open up Windows 10 S to Windows Insiders for external testing.
“This is very much meant only for developers and IT pros, not consumers to broadly download/switch to Windows 10 S,” Microsoft notes.
Maybe someday.
skane2600
<p>It's "One Windows" but we want people to test their UWP apps on Windows 10S because it really isn't?</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#154174"><em>In reply to anchovylover:</em></a></blockquote><p>The reality is that at best, it was just some common code across platforms, not a single API that covered all the functionality of all the devices with identical results. From a users point of view and to significant degree, a developers point of view, it wasn't that important. You couldn't create a sophisticated app that worked well across all devices unless you followed certain guidelines and of course, if you had to rely on features that not all devices had, you couldn't make it cross-platform at all.</p>