Windows 10 S laptops will be tardy for the first weeks of school, Microsoft says

From PC World: Windows 10 S laptops by companies like Asus, Dell, and HP will apparently miss the back-to-school sales season—a serious blow for Microsoft’s new OS for the education market.

Microsoft said Tuesday that universities can begin to order Windows 10 S devices, including its own Surface Laptop. That's the only Windows 10 S device already shipping, but with a starting price of $999 ($899.10 with student discount) it's not attainable for many budget-strapped schools, let alone individual students.

At the same time, the low-cost Windows 10 S hardware from Asus, Dell, Fujitsu, and HP that Microsoft showed off this past May isn’t available yet. Microsoft said additional hardware will be introduced “in the coming months”—after school has already begun.

If Windows 10 S hardware misses the fall semester, that's a bad start for an education-oriented product trying to compete with the entrenched Chromebook platform. The fancy Surface Laptop may be leading the Windows 10 S charge with a traditional notebook that’s designed to replace the MacBook Air in a university setting, but it's the far cheaper, ruggedized hardware for elementary and middle schools that will compete directly with cheap, ruggedized Chromebooks.

View: Article @ Source Site