It’s a stripped-down OS

Google’s Chrome OS has built a solid reputation in the education world by offering schools and institutions a way to get online and be productive without having to pay for exorbitant license keys. Microsoft, not one to let a potential vertical slip by, has announced a direct competitor to Google’s efforts, dubbed the Windows 10 S.

Just like Chrome OS, Windows 10 OS is designed to be run on lower-end machines without taking too much of a performance hit. To do that, Microsoft has gimped the OS somewhat, as it’s only able to run apps from the Windows Store, with each app running in its own sandbox so that Malware and other threats won’t be a big issue.

Since the OS is aimed at the education market, there’s a bunch of tools included with it to help teachers manage their students. Prices for the new notebooks powered by Windows 10 S should start at $189, or around Php 9.5K, which makes it highly competitive with the Chromebook offerings being hawked by Google.