By Mary Jo Foley

Microsoft is going public with its list of planned SKUs, or editions, that it will make available for Windows 10 PCs, tablets, phones and embedded devices ahead of this summer's planned launch of the operating system.

 

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Not counting the three embedded/Internet of Things (IoT) versions, there will be six Windows 10 SKUs: Home, Mobile, Pro, Enterprise, Education and Mobile Enterprise, according to a May 13 blog post from Windows Marketing chief Tony Prophet.

 

When Microsoft introduced Windows 8 in 2012, there were four main Windows 8 SKUs: The Windows 8 consumer SKU; Windows 8 Pro SKU for tech enthusiasts and business professionals; Windows RT, the version of Windows designed to run on ARM-based hardware; and Windows 8 Enterprise. Microsoft subsequently added a Windows 8.1 for Education SKU.

Microsoft is not yet disclosing the standalone pricing or the detailed feature set and licensing specifics of its Windows 10 SKUs.

As Microsoft said months ago, the company plans to make Windows 10 available as a free upgrade for consumers running Windows 7, Windows 8.x and Windows Phone 8.1 for the first year following availability of the Windows 10 operating system. Some business users -- those who want Windows 10 Pro -- also will qualify for the first-year-free deal, but enterprise customers will not, Microsoft execs have said.

 

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