What Is Windows 11 SE and Why Is It a Chromebook Challenger?

Windows 11 has been out there to put in since final October, and its first main replace is already on the way in which. But Microsoft additionally launched one other OS, Windows 11 SE, which seems to be like Windows 11 and shares some widespread options, however there are additionally a slew of variations that separate Windows 11 SE laptops from their full Windows 11 counterparts.

Your first query might be: What does SE stand for, precisely? Microsoft hasn’t been specific, although it may stand for Special Edition, Second Edition, Student Edition, or Simple Edition. What we do know is that it’s officially described as a “cloud-first operating system that’s optimized for use in classrooms, grades K-8.”

If you assume that sounds quite a bit like Chrome OS, you’re not incorrect. A current slump in sales apart, Chromebooks have proved vastly in style for training, with their low cost costs, simple operation, and built-in, always-on safety. Chromebooks are additionally straightforward for directors to handle, which helps in colleges.

Windows 11 SE follows this blueprint, and certainly you may’t purchase it or set up it your self—it must be bought preinstalled on a laptop computer, and it’s solely out there by academic channels. It was introduced first on the $250 Surface Laptop SE in November 2021, and different {hardware} companions are actually releasing their very own Windows 11 SE units, too.

Essentially, you may consider it as a stripped-down model of Windows 11 that offloads extra work to the cloud and a distant administrator. The optimizations that Microsoft has put in place imply the working system can run on much less highly effective {hardware}, which in flip means cheaper {hardware}.

You get Microsoft Office bundled with Windows 11 SE, plus Minecraft Education Edition, OneNote, Teams, and all the usual Windows 11 instruments (file administration and syncing is dealt with by way of OneDrive). Whether or not you may set up any further software program isn’t as much as you, it’s as much as whichever admin is in control of your machine.

Microsoft specifies six kinds of software that may be put in on Windows 11 SE: content-filtering apps, test-taking apps, accessibility apps, classroom communication apps, “essential” diagnostic and administration apps, and (maybe surprisingly) various internet browsers in addition to Microsoft Edge. For now although, the one various browser to make the authorized checklist is Chrome.

If your academic establishment wants entry to an app on Windows 11 SE that isn’t already out there, there’s the choice to put in a request for Microsoft so as to add it. However, applications received’t get approval in the event that they’re out there as an online app, or in the event that they don’t fall into the classes of software that we listed above.

Web apps will also be accessed, with paperwork saved and synced to the cloud by default. The Office apps nonetheless work offline although, with adjustments uploaded as soon as an web connection is restored. Microsoft Edge could have help for Google Chrome extensions turned on by default, which isn’t the case on the usual Windows 11—maybe a nod to these wanting to maneuver over from Chrome OS.

There are just a few tweaks to the format and operation of Windows 11 within the SE model. Snap layouts are simplified, and the widgets are eliminated, and applications open in maximized mode by default. As you’d count on, the Settings panel will get trimmed down as nicely. The thought is to attenuate the variety of potential distractions, and the variety of issues that may go incorrect.

Microsoft is highlighting the accessibility options which were retained from Windows 11, and which ought to give much more college students the chance to make use of Windows 11 SE, whereas additionally selling advantages for educators: the choice to observe studying progress, plan actions and workloads, grade college students, and extra.

“We have heard from educators that they need options that are simpler, secure and that work on more affordable devices,” wrote Microsoft’s Paige Johnson, vp of education marketing.

“Windows 11 SE was designed and built during the pandemic to address the most fundamental challenges that schools will face in the blended learning world. It brings performance enhancements that optimize resources on low-cost devices to deliver more comprehensive learning experiences and is simple to deploy and manage,” Johnson mentioned.

Windows 11 SE works with a few of Microsoft’s numerous admin instruments, together with Windows Autopilot and the cloud-based administration device Microsoft Intune, so higher-ups can preserve tabs on program and web site entry, and run managed environments for situations like exams and assessments. Multiple customers and units will be arrange collectively, which is helpful for school rooms.

This may all sound much like Microsoft Windows 10 S, and certainly it’s—however this feels prefer it’s been higher thought by, and represents an much more complete dedication from Microsoft to a scaled-down working system for training. Whether or not it could actually make a dent in Chromebook gross sales stays to be seen.

The Surface Laptop SE provides you an thought of the low-spec {hardware} required to run Windows 11 SE: It comes with an 11.6-inch, 1366 x 768 decision display, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of on-board storage. Those are specs that Windows 11 may battle with, however the extra light-weight, cloud-focused SE version runs nice.