Microsoft Details All Seven Versions Of Highly Anticipated Windows 10 Operating System

For notebooks and desktops, there will once again be Home and Pro editions. Given what we know right now, it looks like Home would suit almost every regular user, whereas Pro is directly targeted at small businesses. For example, Pro features the 'Windows Update for Business' feature that we talked about a couple of weeks ago. Worth noting is that both Home and Pro support tablets and 2-in-1s.

For small tablets and smartphones, there's Windows 10 Mobile, an edition that's fine-tuned to support smaller screens. This edition will also include a touch-enhanced version of Office.

Windows 10 Enterprise caters to a rather obvious audience; it includes Windows Updates for Business and also access to the Long Term Servicing Branch. What's a little more intriguing than this is Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise, an OS that caters to enterprises that outfit employees with mobile devices. A fork of Enterprise is called Windows 10 Education, and is designed to meet the needs of schools, including staff and students. This edition will be available through academic Volume Licensing, and can be upgraded to from either Home or Pro.

Finally, Windows 10 IoT Core is a seriously slimmed-down version of Windows for small footprint devices, such as the Raspberry Pi and similar devices. For ATMs, POS, and similar devices, Microsoft will offer special versions of Enterprise and Mobile Enterprise.

A quick recap:

• Windows 10 Home - Suitable for most home users, even enthusiasts.
• Windows 10 Pro - Designed for small businesses.
• Windows 10 Mobile - Designed for small tablets and smartphones.
• Windows 10 Enterprise - For large businesses with big rollouts.
• Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise - For large businesses that issue mobile devices to employees.
• Windows 10 Education - Designed for schools, and builds off of Enterprise.
• Windows 10 IoT Core - Designed for super-small devices, like the RPi.

Not surprisingly, Microsoft's keeping mum on pricing, but as mentioned before, Windows 10 Home, Mobile, and Pro can be upgraded to for free during the first year of the OS' availability. Once you upgrade, Windows 10 will be yours forever.