It has the normal Start menu and of course the same mix of new-looking Windows 10 interface hiding the ancient Windows XP-era Control Panel, if you dig deep enough. It behaves just like any other version of Windows 10. If you only use the built-in Windows apps, such as Mail and Calendar, People, Skype, Edge and Office, Windows 10 S won’t seem any different – expect the speed.

Windows 10 S is the fastest version of Windows I have ever used – from switching and loading apps to booting up, it’s noticeably quicker than either Windows 10 Home or 10 Pro running on similar hardware.

The Windows Store is full of the dregs of the app world. Surface Laptop users can upgrade to 10 Pro for free until the end of 2017 – or face a fee of around £50 after. For many the upgrade will be free for a limited amount of time. Users can upgrade from 10 S to Windows 10 Pro with a few button presses, as Windows 10 S is built on Windows 10 Pro. You can’t buy Windows 10 S without a machine: it will only come on new computers – primarily those aimed at the lower-end or the education market, aside from the Surface Laptop. The quantity is not the issue, but the quality is: the Windows Store is full of dross, from outdated and abandoned apps, to clones and useless junk – but the situation is improving almost monthly. The biggest limitation is that it is restricted to using only apps downloaded from the Windows Store, of which there are about 700,000 available. In other words Windows 10 S is meant to be more secure, faster and have longer battery life, like-for-like on the same computer. Strictly speaking Windows 10 S is Windows 10 Pro but with some limitations that are designed to, in Microsoft’s words, “be streamlined for simplicity, security and speed”. No tradition Windows apps means the desktop isn’t littered with program icons unless you actively choose to put files and shortcuts there.

Windows 10 enterprise vs pro