Surface Pro without Windows Pro?

Was browsing the Surface site and noticed that the Surface Pro ships with Windows 10 Home?

Wha!?

Conversation 12 comments

  • Jackwagon

    Premium Member
    16 September, 2019 - 8:57 pm

    <p>Yeah, it's a somewhat recent development (since October of last year, give or take a month). Supposedly it comes down to the fact that the Surface division doesn't get free Windows licenses (since it's technically an OEM like Dell or HP), so they're trying to keep costs down as much as reasonably possible.</p>

    • jimchamplin

      Premium Member
      16 September, 2019 - 10:16 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#466715">In reply to Jackwagon:</a></em></blockquote><p>You're fucking with me.</p><p><br></p><p>Microsoft doesn't provide their hardware division with the licenses that match their marketing?</p><p><br></p><p>Chris Capposella needs to know about this.</p>

      • Jackwagon

        Premium Member
        16 September, 2019 - 10:25 pm

        <blockquote><em><a href="#466723">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p><a href="https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/microsoft-surface/184034/yes-the-new-surface-pcs-run-windows-10-home-yes-its-ok&quot; target="_blank">https://www.thurrott.com/mobile/microsoft-surface/184034/yes-the-new-surface-pcs-run-windows-10-home-yes-its-ok</a></p><p><br></p><p>This was the article here that I found about it, which is what informs my understanding about the matter (part of it seems to have to do with the lines between Home and Pro being redrawn such that Home isn't merely a subset of Pro).</p>

        • Paul Thurrott

          Premium Member
          17 September, 2019 - 9:09 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#466746">In reply to Jackwagon:</a></em></blockquote><p>Funny, I was sure I had written about this. :)</p>

      • hrlngrv

        Premium Member
        16 September, 2019 - 10:47 pm

        <p><a href="https://www.thurrott.com/forums/microsoft/windows/thread/surface-pro-without-windows-pro#466723&quot; target="_blank"><em>In reply to jimchamplin:</em></a></p><p>MSFT has a choice: do whatever it wants, piss off OEMs, then need to become the world's MAJOR hardware maker, or avoid pissing off OEMs. It seems MSFT would prefer to avoid making hardware in a major way.</p><p>Part of this is due to a risk: the largest 10 OEMs collectively contributing, say, US$25 million to The Document Foundation would likely be enough to make LibreOffice competitive enough for many home users. MSFT still can't afford to give OEMs a reason to embrace Linux in a major way. TBH, if one doesn't need either MS Office or anything from Adobe, one really doesn't need Windows.</p><p>That said, does MSFT offer Windows 10 Pro as a cost-plus extra like the other OEMs?</p>

        • navarac

          17 September, 2019 - 5:59 am

          <blockquote><em><a href="#466749">In reply to hrlngrv:</a></em></blockquote><p>I would suggest that LibreOffice (or Google Docs for that matter) are probably good enough for home users anyway. The major benefit to Office 365, of course, is OneDrive storage.</p>

  • jimchamplin

    Premium Member
    17 September, 2019 - 12:18 am

    <p>Ehhhhh…</p><p><br></p><p>It does feel cheap on the surface. Hard to ignore that.</p><p><br></p><p>But yes… the logic does seem to make sense…</p><p><br></p><p>… at least until the moment that want to run WSL and then suddenly I need Windows 10 Pro…</p><p><br></p><p>Maybe they should stop tying useful features to the damn product versions, then paying a goddamn thousand bucks for a system that comes with a version that still demands you pay extra just for the basic functions of the damn OS won't feel like such a ripoff..</p><p><br></p><p>In other words, no, I don't accept it. If they sell a "Pro" system, it should come with their "Pro" OS.</p><p><br></p><p>Or should we take them to task for overcharging for the Pro SKU?</p><p><br></p><p>Seriously. 1) The bullshit separation of SKUs is ridiculous. 2) Selling a product with "Pro" in the name while selling a "Pro" SKU OS and then expecting people to accept marketing BS as to why you don't get the Pro Windows on the Pro Surface is class A bullshit 3) The bullshit separation of SKUs is ridiculous and it's time that Microsoft ends it.</p><p><br></p><p>It used to be an understood thing that the absurd SKUs were a bad thing. That never changed. I guess it became more okay to rip the user off.</p>

    • jean

      17 September, 2019 - 12:53 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#466762">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>couldn't possibly disagree more with "rip the user off" and the "demands" you are making: I consider "ripping the user off "when selling the majority of the customer something more expensive than they really need – say Windows Pro at a higher cost for everyone – just because less than 0.5% of the users need that functionality – if I'd need the additional functionality I'd just by the upgrade – if I don't I'd be glad to save the buck </p>

    • navarac

      17 September, 2019 - 6:01 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#466762">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>Just more monetisation.</p>

    • Chris_Kez

      Premium Member
      17 September, 2019 - 10:52 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#466762">In reply to jimchamplin:</a></em></blockquote><p>Enterprises don't buy Surface Enterprise devices, nor does Surface Studio come with Windows 10 Studio OS. Lots of $1000+ computers come with Windows 10 Home. <span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">The "Pro" name simply differentiates it from the entry level Surface Go (and Surface 3 before that), just as the iPad Pro and iPhone Pro are distinguished from their entry-level alternatives. As a Surface Pro owner who has no need for Windows 10 Pro, I'd rather not pay extra for that license.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Windows SKUs have been a thing for ages, and will be until Windows is within an inch of its life and no longer of value. The beauty of the PC ecosystem is its diversity. If you don't think Surface Pro offers a reasonable value– and honestly has this line ever been about bang for the buck?– then you have many other products to choose from.</span></p>

  • Tony Barrett

    17 September, 2019 - 2:34 am

    <p>There should just be two versions – 'Windows 10' and 'Windows 10 Enterprise'. If MS wanted to make additional features available through their store they could, and MS could also enable certain features by default to add value to their own products – or even make those features unique to specific hardware. Feature availability would be based on your activation key, or if you paid $$ for an additional feature.</p><p>The Enterprise version would have most things turned off by default (with zero telemetry collection), but these can be enabled by the sysadmin if they want. The Enterprise version could also have more corporate focused tools in the build by default.</p><p>I'd suggest MS give the base Windows 10 available for free, the the options chargeable. The Enterprise version would be available to customers with software assurance.</p>

  • crp0908

    17 September, 2019 - 10:46 am

    <p>If you want a Surface with Windows 10 Pro pre-installed, you need to search for "Surface Pro for Business."</p>

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