New Windows 10 Consumer SKU Roadmap Revealed

Megalith

Megalith

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There are five new Windows 10 SKUs on the horizon: Advanced ($101), Core + ($86.66), Core ($65.45), Value ($45), and Entry ($25). This means that those with more powerful hardware will have to pay more for a license.

Starting on April 2nd, these new SKUs and pricing will go into effect with the new pricing for Home Advanced going into effect on May 1st. Also, Microsoft is indicating that there will be a $49 charge for Pro S users to switch to the full version of Windows 10 Pro.
 
I think what it really means is people with lower cost hardware will pay less. The value and entry seem about $10 too high for that end of the market but what do I know.
 
the comments in the article are funny

In reply to MikeCerm: Where did you see $200 for a 'boxed' copy of Windows? Nobody builds their own machine anymore because they want to save money. They build to get exactly what they want.
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Convoluted but this does make sense and is something that Microsoft does already though this seems more fine tuned.

BloodyIron said:
Low end computer? Linux, $0, runs faster than Windows, and you don't need to throw out your old computer too!
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The thing is though at the low end who needs a computer anymore? People use their phones for this type of stuff now. Honestly in this market Windows is to bulky and complex and Linux is too complex. Just get a Chromebook and be done with it.

Once you get into the upper layers though, Windows become increasingly harder to replace as client OS with it's top notch support for upper end client hardware and software from games to productivity. At these higher price points and needs that make it more difficult to replace Windows, it's easier to charge more money.
 
Megalith said:
Starting on April 2nd, these new SKUs and pricing will go into effect with the new pricing for Home Advanced going into effect on May 1st. Also, Microsoft is indicating that there will be a $49 charge for Pro S users to switch to the full version of Windows 10 Pro.
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Which sucks plus it seems like Microsoft is killing Windows 10 S anyway:

Pricing for the SKUs is as follows: Advanced ($101), Core + ($86.66), Core ($65.45), Value ($45), and Entry ($25). Also, Windows 10 S is dead, it’s now Windows 10 S mode and the baseline SKU will be going away but each version will have an S mode.
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So if I'm getting this right, there will be now Windows 10 version locked to the store only apps but will support a mode for store only apps to be installed. So basically what's already there? Windows 10 already has an option to restrict Win32 software.
 
I see we have returned to the days of starter edition.

Is that how microsoft typed it out, or did the article writer make some mistakes with the ">" and "≥" signs?
Like this line here: Core +: High end CPU and >4 GB RAM (All Form Factors) ≥8 GB RAM & ≥1080p screen resolution (NB, 2in1, AiO) >8 GB RAM & ≥2TB HDD or SSD storage (Desktop)

Greater than 4GB of ram and greater than or equal to 8GB of ram? what? that makes no sense.
And then the part where it says greater than or equal to 1080p? So what the hell happens if the drivers don't detect the graphics and monitor correctly?
 
MrDeaf said:
So what the hell happens if the drivers don't detect the graphics and monitor correctly?
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Minimum requirement of 1080P doesn't mean it can't still display some basic VGA resolution for diagnostic reasons - just means it's not built for regular usage at less than 1080P. Some of the menus, etc, might be kind of obnoxious to use at lower resolutions.
 
i thought win 10 was the final Os with updates and such is this something newer than whats ava ? so what does it mean if im on win 10 pro 64 bit right now? anything?
 
fightingfi said:
i thought win 10 was the final Os with updates and such is this something newer than whats ava ? so what does it mean if im on win 10 pro 64 bit right now? anything?
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Read a couple of more articles, it's pretty confusing. Once again Microsoft doesn't get in front of the messaging. If I'm reading it right this is only OEM pricing, not retail. I was reading on The Verge that there would be a $49 dollar charge to move from S mode to unlocked mode for Pro but not Home and totally didn't get that because S is now a mode and not a separate SKU.

Here's what I think this all is:

1. Windows 10 S is gone, it's just a mode that I think? is user controllable?
2. This doesn't effect retail copies just OEM, it's still Home and Pro in retail with an S mode (which by the way is already there)
3. The OEM price is determined by the type of device which Microsoft has done before but this is more finely tuned, i.e. confusing.

I think it's a good thing on the low end and there's no longer a Windows version tied to just the Store. Again, this should have been put out officially by Microsoft in clear terms and not leaked on a weekend with so little clarity.
 
MrDeaf said:
I see we have returned to the days of starter edition.

Is that how microsoft typed it out, or did the article writer make some mistakes with the ">" and "≥" signs?
Like this line here: Core +: High end CPU and >4 GB RAM (All Form Factors) ≥8 GB RAM & ≥1080p screen resolution (NB, 2in1, AiO) >8 GB RAM & ≥2TB HDD or SSD storage (Desktop)

Greater than 4GB of ram and greater than or equal to 8GB of ram? what? that makes no sense.
And then the part where it says greater than or equal to 1080p? So what the hell happens if the drivers don't detect the graphics and monitor correctly?
Click to expand...

The All FF thing, I think, is just the catch all - for things that don't fit into any of the pre-defined categories (such as HTPCs or tablet PCs - which you could argue are not in any of the classifications they distinctly list)

I agree - it's a bit dumb. I don't mind the different price tiers. I don't even really mind the price to be honest. But they are overly-convoluting it (again). Just like you infer - as soon as someone buys something not exactly quite right and can't understand why it's not supported, there will be a good deal of pushback (although I'm sure there will be easy and convenient upgrade buttons in the MS Store).
 
This seems so convoluted. Have a free ad-supported Windows product, a payware Home version, and a more expensive Pro version with no ads.

fightingfi said:
i thought win 10 was the final Os with updates and such is this something newer than whats ava ? so what does it mean if im on win 10 pro 64 bit right now? anything?
Click to expand...

There's a critical patch for all Windows users available here.
 
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TFA said:
Below is a breakdown of the SKUs:
  • Entry: Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium ≤ 4GB RAM & ≤ 32GB SSD AND ≤ 14.1” screen size (NB), ≤ 11.6” (2in1, Tablet), ≥ 17” AiO
  • Value: Intel Atom/Celeron/Pentium ≤ 4GB RAM & ≤64GB SSD & ≤ 14.1” screen size (EM ≤ 4GB RAM & ≤64GB SSD or ≤ 500GB HDD)
  • Core: Cannot be used on devices that meet the Core+ and Advanced SKU Hardware Specifications
  • Core +: High end CPU and >4 GB RAM (All Form Factors) ≥8 GB RAM & ≥1080p screen resolution (NB, 2in1, AiO) >8 GB RAM & ≥2TB HDD or SSD storage (Desktop)
  • Advanced: Intel Core i9 (any configuration) OR Core i7 ≥ 6 Cores (any RAM) OR AMD Threadripper(any configuration) OR Intel Core i7 >16GB (any Cores) or AMD FX/ Ryzen7 >16GB (any Cores) OR ≥ 4K screen resolution (any processor, includes 4K UHD-3840 resolution
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Wow! What a bunch of arbitrary lines to draw! Sales guys are going to need a secret decoder wheel on their desk.

What happens if you upgrade your ram and exceed your license? I'd assume they'd provide a path to buy an upgraded license, but that's looking like Windows 10 brought to you by EA.
 
And what happens if you connect an external hard drive that is larger than the limit for your os version? You have to pay an upgrade to microsoft? That would be some dystopian shit.
Or these limits aren't actually enforced, and there are no different versions of windows corresponding to these levels, just oem's pay a different licensing price after different computers? That would make sense.

It's already hilarious that the entry level is limited to a 32GB SSD, windows 10 won't even fit properly on a 32GB drive. I've tried it.
 
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These who haw old motherboards and like Pentium 4 performance cpu, even 10 euro os is a risk.
 
23wjkb.jpg
 
So they are continuing to encourage me to never upgrade from 8.1 and to finally get around to dual booting Linux with the hope of getting off Win entirely. Thanks Microsoft...I miss the old days when I liked your products.
 
SSDD, yet again with MS windows. Decoding wheel is right. Toss in a flowchart,a few powerpoint presentations and we're halfway there.
 
WhoMe said:
So they are continuing to encourage me to never upgrade from 8.1 and to finally get around to dual booting Linux with the hope of getting off Win entirely. Thanks Microsoft...I miss the old days when I liked your products.
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Do it! I dual boot both my desktop and my laptop. I'm only keeping the Win 10 partition for games these days, all my regular computing/program need are filled quite nicely with Linux (Mint on the laptop, Devuan on the desktop). Also, I'm using the same applications under Linux that I used under Windows (jEdit, Firefox, Thunderbird, Libre Office, g++, Octave, Eclipse, etc). So far, the maintenance issues with Linux have been way less than the maintenance issues with Windows 10.
 
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These are the discount SKUs for OEMs which isn't new. They allow for selling cheaper hardware with a more scaled price for Windows. This way a 300 dollar machine can be a 300 dollar machine, or a 200 or 150. These allow OEMs to have PC type products that compete with tablets and chrome books.

Like these: Bit W1004PB CORE+
 
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I'm seriously getting sick of Microsoft, time to ditch Windows and try something completely new. I don't do anything under Windows that ties me to the OS anyway.
 
Wonder how many meetings it took Microsoft to come up with that SKU table? If Microsoft ever needs to cut costs, the folks that came up with this would be a good start.
 
Does this mean every version of 10 (Home, Pro, Enterprise, etc) will each have 5 skus based on performance?

Someone in the comments on that site said this is only for OEM wholesale pricing.
 
KyleEntradiUranuJr said:
These are the discount SKUs for OEMs which isn't new. They allow for selling cheaper hardware with a more scaled price for Windows. This way a 300 dollar machine can be a 300 dollar machine, or a 200 or 150. These allow OEMs to have PC type products that compete with tablets and chrome books.

Like these: Bit W1004PB CORE+
Click to expand...

Ok, that makes more sense when viewed like that. So this is in effect a way for MS to open the kimono wide about what the pricing tiers for OEM "cheap machine" licenses really is? I have to admit this would be a healthy move for the industry. Although it does seem like a lot of options.
 
Hallucinator said:
This can be done. I've installed this on a tiny Dell Mini 9 netbook.
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Sure it can be, I've done it too, but it's pointless. With hyberfile, and pagefile, and wait a few months of bloat, you're running at a brick wall. My current Windir is 23GB in size, so no thanks, I would not risk it on a 30GB drive.

On some computers I've used for longer I've hit a wall even with 60GB system drives. Of course it took five years to hit the wall, but I still hit it. So at this time I'd not recommend anything below 120GB to be used as a Windows system drive.
 
I'm shocked at how much hate there is for MS selling to OEMs. I can't even believe there are that many OEMs responding to this thread. Most of the replies I've seen were from end users and the article doesn't say anything about them!
 
defunctdoormat said:
I'm shocked at how much hate there is for MS selling to OEMs. I can't even believe there are that many OEMs responding to this thread. Most of the replies I've seen were from end users and the article doesn't say anything about them!
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You are clearly not new around here so, are you shocked or just shocked? :D ;) Plenty of folks here believe that if they go on long enough on these forums, MS will suddenly hear them and do what they want. Facts be damned whenever MS is mentioned. :D
 
ChedWick said:
Yeaaaaaa, but thats LTBS. Thats not really a fair comparison.
Click to expand...

Yeah, Windows 10 Home starts out incredibly svelte, but after two years of updates the Windows folder has swelled to 19GB. Give it a couple more years, and it will be a tough fit on 32GB.

The massively-compressed folder is not maintained on updates. So it reduces the size of the original, but leaves updates the same. bloated size as-before.

EDIT: can you download and install the latest Windows 10 Creators (i.e. with all updates?) If so, you might be able to get that insane compression on these updates, provided you do a clean install.
 
M76 said:
Sure it can be, I've done it too, but it's pointless. With hyberfile, and pagefile, and wait a few months of bloat, you're running at a brick wall. My current Windir is 23GB in size, so no thanks, I would not risk it on a 30GB drive.

On some computers I've used for longer I've hit a wall even with 60GB system drives. Of course it took five years to hit the wall, but I still hit it. So at this time I'd not recommend anything below 120GB to be used as a Windows system drive.
Click to expand...


You did a normal install. In 10 there's a Compact OS option which was similar to WIMboot in 8.1, with the exception that is isn't running from a compress wim but way that it can remove previous files to keep the size of the OS under control over time. And besides that systems that require it wouldn't have the memory to worry about a growing page file. Hyberfil can be compressed or removed as well.

I've maintained some Compact OS images at work for quite some time now and the initial size over about a year or so has changed maybe by 100 megabytes. Program bloat is more a problem than the OS bloating nowadays.
 
Ryokurin said:
I've maintained some Compact OS images at work for quite some time now and the initial size over about a year or so has changed maybe by 100 megabytes. Program bloat is more a problem than the OS bloating nowadays.
Click to expand...

I have a couple of cheapo Nuvision Cherry Trail Atom tablets I've have for about a 8 months now updated to the FCU and all of the monthly cumulative updates. There are the recovery files left behind which will eventually delete themselves but I run Disk Cleanup generally after updates to remove those. As long as you're not trying to install large apps it's space isn't the problem. Indeed devices like this are a lot better off running as UWPs. The biggest problem with them is the speed on eMMC storage, a HUGE bottleneck for them.
 
Is this an operating system or a video game? Seriously that is some of the most convoluted and stupid shit I've read in a long time. According to their stupid ass roadmap I can't even tell where my computer sits. Further I don't give a shit about what they think my hardware is capable of, I want to know what Features each version has..Which one has Group policy? Which one gives me total control over everything? If the answer remains "We don't believe non enterprise users need certain features they paid for" Then they can fuck right off.
 
Dude, Linux is not complex. I literally have my whole family on it, and not one of them thinks it's complex. In fact, the feedback I receive is that it's easier than Windows to use. I've also been selling refurbished desktops recently with Linux on it, and not one has been returned for "Linux is complex" or similar things. It ACTUALLY works, and I highly recommend you try it. You might find you like it.

Also, there are plenty of tasks where a keyboard is preferable over a touch screen, like a spreadsheet, writing a document, watching videos at length, and more. So while plenty of people do lots of things on their phones/mobile devices, there's plenty of legit usage for lower end computers too.

heatlesssun said:
Convoluted but this does make sense and is something that Microsoft does already though this seems more fine tuned.



The thing is though at the low end who needs a computer anymore? People use their phones for this type of stuff now. Honestly in this market Windows is to bulky and complex and Linux is too complex. Just get a Chromebook and be done with it.

Once you get into the upper layers though, Windows become increasingly harder to replace as client OS with it's top notch support for upper end client hardware and software from games to productivity. At these higher price points and needs that make it more difficult to replace Windows, it's easier to charge more money.
Click to expand...
 
M76 said:
Sure it can be, I've done it too, but it's pointless. With hyberfile, and pagefile, and wait a few months of bloat, you're running at a brick wall. My current Windir is 23GB in size, so no thanks, I would not risk it on a 30GB drive.

On some computers I've used for longer I've hit a wall even with 60GB system drives. Of course it took five years to hit the wall, but I still hit it. So at this time I'd not recommend anything below 120GB to be used as a Windows system drive.
Click to expand...

I had a HP Stream that I had Win 10 on. Ended up putting a 32GB SD card in the side and putting my temp and user directory on it. I never had many documents so it worked out fine.
 
M76 said:
It's already hilarious that the entry level is limited to a 32GB SSD, windows 10 won't even fit properly on a 32GB drive. I've tried it.
Click to expand...

It will fit, but only until a major version of Windows comes out. At which point, there will not be enough free disk space for Windows to properly update.

It's also hilarious that there is no official way to turn off updates on PCs with 32 GB eMMC, so basically you are doomed to end up with no free space.
 
BloodyIron said:
Dude, Linux is not complex. I literally have my whole family on it, and not one of them thinks it's complex. In fact, the feedback I receive is that it's easier than Windows to use.
Click to expand...

It's not the complexity of Linux I was referring to but its hardware and software support particularly with newer stuff.
 
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