The same machine can run both Windows variants. RT ran on ARM chips, and if you had a Surface RT, there was nothing you could possibly do to get it to run real software.Īlso: Chromebook killer or the second coming of Windows RT? | Google Chrome won't be allowed on Windows 10 S | TechRepublic: Windows 10 S has the potential to create lifelong Microsoft customersīy contrast, if you buy an admittedly pricey $999 Surface Laptop running S, you can upgrade for free (at least through the end of the year) to Windows 10 Pro. The fundamental difference: The same hardware can run Windows 10 and Windows 10 S. I even wrote a day-in-the-life piece about how a misled customer bought a Surface RT machine thinking it would run Windows apps, and eventually had to return it.īut Windows 10 S is different. When Windows RT came out, I brutalized Microsoft over what I considered an incredibly misleading and dangerous product. Here are the key differences you need to know about the many Windows 10 editions: Home, Pro, Enterprise, and more. With the introduction of Windows 10 S, your options for buying a new PC just got more complicated.