With the release of Windows 10 rapidly approaching, Microsoft has detailed all the different editions you'll be able to choose from.
"We designed Windows 10 to deliver a more personal computing experience across a range of devices. An experience optimized for each device type, but familiar to all," said Microsoft. "Windows 10 will power an incredibly broad range of devices – everything from PCs, tablets, phones, Xbox One, Microsoft HoloLens and Surface Hub. No matter which Windows 10 device our customers use, the experience will feel comfortable, and there will be a single, universal Windows Store where they can find, try and buy Universal Windows apps."
The different editions are tailored for various device families and uses. "These different editions address specific needs of our various customers, from consumers to small businesses to the largest enterprises," Microsoft explained. To that end, here are all the different Windows 10 Editions:
Windows 10 Home: The consumer-focused desktop edition. Offers a "familiar and personal experience" for PCs, tablets, and 2-in-1s. New innovations include Cortana, the new personal digital assistant; the new Microsoft Edge web browser; Windows Hello face-recognition, iris and fingerprint login, and more.
Windows 10 Home also includes access to the Xbox LIVE gaming community, allowing the capture and sharing of gameplay and giving Xbox One owners the ability to play their Xbox One games from any Windows 10 PC in their home.
Windows 10 Mobile: Designed to deliver the best user experience on smaller, mobile, touch-centric devices. It includes the same, new universal Windows apps that come with the Windows 10 Home, as well as the new touch-optimized version of Office.
Windows 10 Pro: Another desktop edition for PCs, tablets, and 2-in-1s, that builds upon the features of Windows 10 Home. This is designed to meet the needs of small businesses, helping to "effectively and efficiently manage their devices and apps, protect their sensitive business data, support remote and mobile productivity scenarios and take advantage of cloud technologies."
Windows 10 Enterprise: Builds upon Windows 10 Pro, adding advanced features that are "designed to meet the demands of medium and large sized organizations. It provides advanced capabilities to help protect against the ever-growing range of modern security threats targeted at devices, identities, applications and sensitive company information."
Windows 10 Education: Builds upon Windows 10 Enterprise, and is designed to meet the needs of schools — staff, administrators, teachers, and students included.
Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise: This version is designed to deliver the best customer experience to business customers on smartphones and small tablets. "It offers the great productivity, security and mobile device management capabilities that Windows 10 Mobile provides, and adds flexible ways for businesses to manage updates. In addition, Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise will incorporate the latest security and innovation features as soon as they are available."
Mobile Enterprise will also be available for industry devices like ATMs, retail point of sale, handheld terminals, and Windows 10 IoT Core.
Microsoft reiterated that Windows 10 will be available this summer. As a reminder, Microsoft will be offering the full versions of Windows 10 Home, Windows 10 Mobile and Windows 10 Pro as a free and easy upgrade for qualifying Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 devices that upgrade in the first year after launch. Once you upgrade, you have Windows 10 for free on that device.
