Windows 10 Editions : Which Edition Should You Choose?

Microsoft has finally announced various editions of Windows 10 that would be made available to the OEM companies as well as the individual consumers. Some of these editions can be installed on desktop computers and some on the mobile devices like mobile phones, tablets, smart watches etc. Not all of the announced editions are available directly to the end consumer and some are meant only for the large manufacturers like Lenovo, Dell, HP, Toshiba etc. So which of these Windows 10 editions are for you? We have listed all these editions in a very simple manner helping you choose the one meant for your needs:

Windows 10 DVD

 

1. Windows 10 Home

This is going to be perhaps the most widely installed Windows 10 edition. As the name suggests it is available for home users and can be installed on desktop PCs, laptops, tablets, and two-in-one tablets (that can be used both as a tablet and as a notebook). This is pretty much the standard edition of Windows with new browser Microsoft Edge, language assistant Cortana, and biometrics recognition tool Windows Hello. If you are using Windows 7 or 8.1, then this edition shall be received as an update free of cost.

2. Windows 10 Pro

Windows 10 Pro edition builds on the Home edition. It has more features than the Home edition and is suitable for professionals, small businesses and small offices. It has many administration features that could be useful for making the life of the network management much easier. Features like BitLocker encryption, Hyper-V virtualization, etc., are available in this edition. Just like the Home edition, it will be received as an update free of charge.

3. Windows 10 Enterprise

Built on the top of the Pro edition, the Windows 10 Enterprise edition is meant for larger companies, large offices and businesses. It is costlier than both the Home edition and the Pro edition, but has comprehensive device and app management tools. This edition requires buying volume licenses and is costliest of all the Windows 10 editions.

4. Windows 10 Mobile

As the name depicts, it is meant for the mobile devices like the smart phones and small tablets. It comes with touch enabled versions of various apps including the Microsoft Office. If you own a Windows 8.1 based Nokia Lumia smartphone, then you can upgrade to Windows 10 Mobile for free.

5. Windows 10 Education

Windows 10 Education is basically the Enterprise edition only with a little difference – it is designed specially for educational institutes, schools, colleges, universities etc. Such educational organizations can get heavy discount when buying volume licenses for Windows 10 Education.

6. Windows 10 Mobile Enterprise

This is basically the Windows 10 Mobile edition, but targeting the large corporations and businesses. It includes security and device management functions that could be useful for large businesses and not usually available in the Mobile edition of Windows.

7. Windows 10 IoT Core

Windows 10 IoT (Internet of Things) Core is an entirely new edition for Windows. It is supposed to be used in wearable smart devices like smart watches. But they are also speculating of using this edition in many internet ready devices like bank ATMs, elevators, health monitoring devices and so on.

Conclusion: Microsoft has announced seven different editions for Windows 10. But the average consumer will perhaps use only the Home or the Pro editions, both of which shall be available as free upgrades to the Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users.