The Surface Laptop was the first PC to come with Windows 10 S. — Picture courtesy of Microsoft

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb 1 — After launching Windows 10 S, a first pared-down version of its operating system aimed mainly at students in 2017, Microsoft is reportedly working on stripping back its OS even further with a version codenamed “Polaris,” according to the Windows Central website.

Microsoft appears to be taking a modular approach to Windows 10 in the long term, envisaging an OS available in several formats with varying levels of functionality, to install in relation to individual needs and hardware. The project, which supposedly strips the OS down to its core components, is reportedly called “Windows Core OS.”

The idea is to create a totally streamlined version of Windows 10, aimed essentially at users who do little more than surf the internet or basic office computing. In this respect, Microsoft no doubt hopes to offer an alternative to Google’s Chromebooks — also aimed at young people and students — with a solution that promises cost efficiency and effective performance. This new rival for Chrome OS would be even more basic than Windows 10 S, the pared-down version of Windows 10 Pro that only runs Windows Store apps.

One original feature of this operating system would involve replacing certain legacy programs like Paint and Notepad with so-called “universal” applications from Microsoft’s UWP app platform. These programs are more lightweight and are compatible with any product running Windows. Evidently, this version of Windows would only be installed on entry-level PCs.

The next step for Microsoft will be to launch a mobile version of Windows 10, this time for tablets, currently in development under the code name “Andromeda.” — AFP-Relaxnews