As part of a broader education initiative, Microsoft announced today that schools can now begin ordering third party PCs with Windows 10 S.
“In the coming months, our partners will introduce a number of many great devices for purchase, pre-installed with Windows 10 S,” a Microsoft representative told me. “The Lenovo N23 and N24 are available worldwide starting today.” Both devices cost under $300, Microsoft notes.
Sign up for our new free newsletter to get three time-saving tips each Friday — and get free copies of Paul Thurrott's Windows 11 and Windows 10 Field Guides (normally $9.99) as a special welcome gift!
"*" indicates required fields
The third-party Windows 10 S-based PC offerings were overshadowed by the well-received Surface Laptop at Microsoft’s Education event back in May, and for good reason: These devices are all 11-inch low-end PCs and not in the same class as Surface Laptop. But on the flipside, they are also much less expensive and more likely to be adopted in schools.
The following Windows 10 S-based PCs will be available soon:
ASUS Vivobook W202. Available in the US, this device will cost $279.
Dell Latitude 3180/3189 Costing $229 and $299, respectively, this devices will ship in the US and Canada.
Fujitsu LIFEBOOK P727. Costing a sizable $999, this one will be available in the US and Canada.
HP ProBook x360 11EE. Available in the US, UK and Australia, this PC will cost $299.
Schools that would like to test Windows 10 S without buying new hardware can also do so on select existing PCs.
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#160146"><em>In reply to bbold:</em></a></blockquote><p>The strategy seems a bit ambivalent, If they want a large percentage of 10S users to upgrade to Pro they could have just lowered Pro's price rather than come up with new branding. I think the upgrade is to throw a bone to fanboys and confuse tech reviewers into believing there's added value. The real purpose IMO, is a hail-mary to promote UWP.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#160284"><em>In reply to Roger Ramjet:</em></a></blockquote><p>There's no indication that Win10S PCs are going to be cheaper than current low-end Windows PCs. The prices Paul quotes don't support that conclusion. Windows on ARM remains a development project rather than a real product so far and not necessarily a Win10S option (why bother emulating Win32 apps on ARM when the intended focus is UWP apps?). Always connected cellular sounds like a poor match for a school environment – probably more expensive than a traditional approach and harder to administer. </p>