Windows 10 comes in five different flavors: there are Windows 10 S, Home, Pro, Education, and Enterprise Editions. But it looks like Microsoft is going to shake things up a bit when Windows 11 launches later this year.

According to a new entry on the Bluetooth SIG website, there may be as many as seven different versions of Windows 11… and possibly more, depending on how you count.

Here’s the list of Windows 11 editions:

  • Windows 11 Home
  • Windows 11 Pro
  • Windows 11 Pro Education
  • Windows 11 Pro for Workstations
  • Windows 11 Enterprise
  • Windows 11 Education
  • Windows 11 Mixed Reality

That last one is particularly interesting, since it would be a new edition designed for mixed reality and/or virtual reality devices like Microsoft’s Hololens. The company already has a Windows Mixed Reality platform, but it’s not considered a separate edition of Windows 10.

One other thing to note is that there’s no mention of S Mode, but Microsoft is expected to keep it around. It’s just that this simplified version of Windows which, among other things, restricts users to downloading apps from the Microsoft Store, may not be considered a standalone edition anymore.

Rather, some PCs may come with Windows 11 Home in S Mode, Windows 11 Pro in S Mode, or some other variation. Users will likely have the option to exit S Mode if they want to sacrifice some ease-of-use and security features for the more robust feature set you get from a standard version of Windows.

Bluetooth.com

The Bluetooth SIG website doesn’t spell out anything except the names of the Windows 11 editions and the fact that they’ll be compatible with Bluetooth 5.1. But it’s likely that some of the features will be similar to those for Windows 10 editions.

For example, if you want BitLocker encryption you’ll likely need to opt for Windows 11 Pro over Windows 11 Home. Need Resilient File System (ReFS)? Then you’ll want Windows 11 Pro for Workstations. And so on.

via MySmartPrice

 

stuff

Windows 10 S, Home, Pro, Education, and Enterprise

 

While many features are the same whether you get Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education, or Windows 10 S, there are some features that are only available on certain editions.

 

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5 replies on “Microsoft may offer 7 different versions of Windows 11 (Home, Pro, Education, Mixed Reality, etc)”

  1. Nobody will miss S Mode. The only reason for S Mode is so manufacturers can install free on cheap dumbed down hardware, without paying for a real Windows license. I read the reviews about some S Mode laptops on Amazon. The general consensus is the “S” stands for Sucks.

  2. Isn’t it nice to have so many confusing choices? As far as I can tell, they need at most three versions: home, pro, and enterprise. If they wanted to simplify things, they could make pro and enterprise the same, with enterprise features turning on with a domain. Home is only needed because they intend to deny some features to the cheaper version. As for education, I have no clue what it is. Windows 10 education is basically the same as enterprise with some strings switched (this is great because you can get individual education licenses). I don’t know why there would now be two or if they will keep that similarity.

    1. Realistically must people won’t ever even know what version of Windows they have; it’s just the one that came with their computer. The version splits are for licensing costs and market segments. Some Are annoying – like needing pro workstation if you have a xeon cpu- but most of this is transparent to the end user.

      1. “Market segmentation” is a euphemism for “price discrimination.” It’s a method of ensuring that consumers receive minimum surplus value. It may be “transparent,” but that does not mean it has a good, or even neutral, effect on consumers. When there is no incremental cost to produce each unit (as in software; it costs $0 more to produce a unit of Windows Pro vs. Windows Home) there is zero upside for consumers. It’s all value extraction for MSFT.

  3. So there will be two “Education” versions. What a confusing mess. I imagine there are separate markets but for the end user (both individual and corporate), it would be ideal if Microsoft just cuts this down to a few: Standard (do away with Home; everyone gets Pro), Enterprise, Education, Workstation. Make the Mixed Reality one an add-on for the first three editions that you download when you need it. Stop overthinking this, Microsoft!

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