Windows 10 will be released to the general public this summer. And today, Microsoft has announced the various forms that the new operating system will take. Windows 10 is intended to work on many different types of equipment, including traditional personal computers, tablets, phones, the Xbox One and other devices you might not have considered, like elevators, medical equipment and appliances. Therefore, Microsoft has split the operating system into different editions to match the hardware.
Windows 10 Home is the version intended for most personal use computers, including desktops, laptops and even some tablets. It will include new features, like Cortana, the digital personal assistant and the Edge browser. The Home edition will have a touch mode called Continuum for use with touch-capable devices.
The next version is called Windows 10 Mobile, designed for phones and smaller tablets. It will include the Continuum mode for phones, which will allow you to connect a small device to a larger screen.
The third version is Windows 10 Pro. Microsoft did not include much detail in the differences between this edition and the Home version, but it seems the emphasis will be on security. This version will have access to a new service from Microsoft called Windows Update for Business, which will allow IT professionals more control over deployment of security updates.
All three of these editions will be available as upgrades from qualifying and corresponding editions of Windows 7, 8 and 8.1. This upgrade will be available for one year from the launch date of Windows 10.
Three other version will be released also. They are Windows 10 Enterprise, Windows 10 Education and Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise. The Enterprise editions will be available for business customers through Microsoft's Volume Licensing service. Again, security and pace of deployment seem paramount concerns that are addressed in these two forms of the operating system. The Education edition will be targeted at schools, both staff and students, and there will be methods to upgrade a Windows Home or Pro version to the Education version through Academic Volume Licensing.
You can read the announcement from Microsoft at the Microsoft Blog.
