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Microsoft shipped a new edition of Windows 10 last week, preinstalled on its elegant and eagerly anticipated new Surface Laptop. How did reviewers react to Windows 10 S? Spoiler alert: They hated it. They really, really hated it. Microsoft debuted its first true laptop last week, and the reviews were overwhelmingly positive, even downright effusive.For the hardware, that is.Microsoft chose to debut a new edition of Windows with the Surface Laptop, and the same reviewers who loved its elegant design and performance were almost uniformly scathing in their rejection of the brand-new Windows 10 S.And rightly so. Whoever made the...

After Tuesday's big launch of Windows 10 S, it emerged the software will force people to use Edge and Bing. How can that be?The supposedly streamlined operating system aimed at kids and their teachers will only run apps from Microsoft's official Windows 10 S software store. Right now, there are no third-party browsers available from its shelves. That leaves users with the bundled Edge browser and Bing for web search.You can't change the search engine from Bing, and, for now, you can't get another browser besides Edge. Even if you could get another browser, Edge will override all the time,...

Microsoft is introducing a new version of Windows 10 today: Windows 10 S. It's essentially Microsoft's answer to Chrome OS, to simplify Windows for low-end hardware and in particular, the education market. “Everything that runs on Windows 10 S is downloaded from the Windows Store,” says Microsoft’s Windows chief Terry Myerson. That doesn't mean that desktop apps won't run on this version of Windows 10, but they'll need to be specially packaged and listed in the Windows Store. During a demonstration onstage, Myerson showed off the ability to support peripherals and devices just like regular Windows 10. Myerson also noted...