Microsoft Windows, commonly referred to as Windows, is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families, all of which are developed and marketed by Microsoft. This guide will be discussing the differences between Windows Edition and features of each.
Microsoft has reiterated and scheduled seven regular Windows 10 versions with varying feature sets and use cases. Most of the editions are distributed only on devices directly from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), while some other Editions such as Enterprise and Education are made available through volume licensing channels.
It is interesting to know that Microsoft also makes the current editions of Windows 10 available to devise manufacturers for use for special cases.
Windows 10 Base Edition
Baseline Edition: These editions are the only editions available as standalone purchases in most retail outlets, especially Windows 10 Home. For more information and features available in the base edition, see the following link for more information.
- Windows Home: This edition includes some advanced features of Windows 10, namely Cortana, Microsoft Edge, Continuum for a seamless transition between desktop and tablet views, and support for universal apps from the Windows Store.
Note: This is a user (consumer-focused OS and cannot be joined to the Domain, except when upgraded (licensed) - Windows 10 Pro: This is built for advanced users and has enhanced functionalities such as Bitlocker encryption, Hyper-V virtualization, Active Directory, and remote-desktop features. For basic users, this is functionalities are not needed and not worth the extra cost.
Note: This is Professionals and business-focused. - Windows Pro for Workstation: This edition was created for high-end hardware for intensive computing tasks
Organization Edition: As discussed previously, these licenses can only be acquired via the volume licensing contract with Microsoft with a focus on centralized management of the operating system. See the following link for more details.
- Windows 10s: This edition of Windows 10 has limited features and it is primarily designed for low-end devices in the education market has a lot of drawbacks as you cannot run a command shell and has Microsoft Edge as the default browser and Bing as the default search engine. It allows the installation of both classic and Universal Windows Platform app. See the following link for more information about classic and UWP apps
- Education: This edition of Windows 10 is available through Academic Volume Licensing and institutions (schools) benefit from the licensing model as it reduces the price of the operating system while still offering enterprise-level tools.
- Pro Education: This edition was introduced for hardware partners on new devices purchased with the discounted K–12 academic license. It was built off of the Pro edition of Windows 10 and contains the mostly same features as Windows 10 Pro with different options disabled by default, and adds options for setup and deployment in an education environment
- Enterprise: This edition provides the same features available in Windows 10 Pro. With more advanced functionalities to support organizations. Currently available on three branches which are Semi-Annual Channel, Semi-Annual Channel (Targeted), and Windows Insider.
- Enterprise LTSC: This refers to Enterprise LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel) is a long-term support version of Windows 10 Enterprise released every 2 to 3 years. See the link for more information.
Device Edition: We also discussed Microsoft made this version of OS available to devise manufacturers (licensed to OEMs) for use for special cases. This is grouped into the following (Windows X, IoT, and Team).
Note: The Windows 10 Mobile and Mobile Enterprise editions have been discontinued.
I hope you found this blog post helpful. If you have any questions, please let me know in the comment session.