Microsoft unveils new lightweight OS and new Surface Laptop

[Becky]

Microsoft have unveiled a new lightweight operating system that goes by the name of Windows 10 S. The new OS is designed to be less demanding and also cheaper, making it more appropriate for budget hardware. Gizmodo has more:

If you’re in school or work at a school, this is a big deal, as it will make it easy to standardize computer use across a campus (the bulk of today’s announcement presentation was focused on teachers and IT workers in schools). If you’re not in education, Windows 10 S is probably going to be a bad deal. But we won’t know until we start seeing computers with Windows 10 S built in. If the hardware is good enough and cheap enough, it could be a descent hobbled OS competitor to Chrome OS, and at least it will run the full Microsoft Office suite.

The company has also released a new product in the Surface line - a Surface Laptop, which has been designed to work with Windows 10 S.

"The performance on this device is absolutely amazing," says Panay. Microsoft is using the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, and claims the battery life will last for 14.5 hours as a result. Microsoft claims the Surface Laptop is faster than the i7 MacBook Pro, and it has "more battery life than any MacBook Air on the market today."

Read more here.

 

[floppybootstomp]

It would appear Microsoft may have woken up to the fact they don't have a monopoly or an automatic route to the largest share of the market and are getting competitive.

I'd give it a cautious welcome but:

it could be a descent hobbled OS competitor to Chrome OS, and at least it will run the full Microsoft Office suite.

Will this MS Office suite be part of Windows 10.5 OS or do they mean although this new OS will run it, it will still cost the same astronomical price? If so, still no competition for free Office software such as Libre Office.

 

[Becky]

Will this MS Office suite be part of Windows 10.5 OS or do they mean although this new OS will run it, it will still cost the same astronomical price? If so, still no competition for free Office software such as Libre Office.

I don't know, but I would expect people will still have to buy it separately...

 

[EvanDavis]

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