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Windows 11 SE is about to land in France. This version of Microsoft’s operating system is primarily aimed at education with specific limitations for this market. The first laptops equipped with this OS arrive with a starting price set at 350 €.
Aware of the delay in ChromeBooks in education, particularly in the United States, Microsoft is drawing a new version of its operating system to better meet the constraints of the school environment. Windows 11 SE – that’s its name – is a light version of Windows 11, optimized to run the Edge browser, the Office suite and OneDrive, including automatic document backup.
Unlike the S mode in effect since Windows 10, Windows 11 SE does not limit its use to software present in the Microsoft Store, and for good reason: the latter is not installed by default. It is thus possible to install and run any application manually. Their restriction is left to the discretion of the administrators of the computer fleet and the updates take place outside of school hours.
Here is the default Windows 11 SE desktop. © Microsoft
To avoid distracting students, widgets are not available and applications must launch in full screen. The organization of the windows introduced with Windows 11 is limited to the possibility of putting two windows side by side and, given the specifications of the eligible PCs, we do not see how it could have been otherwise. We will come back to it.
Snap Layouts are now limited to side-by-side windows. © Microsoft
Teams, Office, OneNote, Minecraft Education and FlipGrid (kind of educational Snapchat) will be installed by default. The Edge browser can also accommodate extensions from Chrome without constraints, teachers across the Atlantic apparently being very fond of Google browser extensions.
Laptops starting at $250
Windows 11 SE will not be available for purchase and will be shipped in low-cost machines (from 250 €), a priori only intended for the education or community market. The minimum specifications to obtain a floor price are as follows: Intel Pentium or Celeron type processor, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB eMMC storage with an 11.6-inch screen and a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels.
Microsoft Surface Laptop SE. © Microsoft
Microsoft is also setting an example with its Surface Laptop SE and its same features for a price of $250. Other manufacturers will follow, notably in France where Acer now offers its TravelMate B3 (€350) and TravelMate Spin B3 (€539) and where Asus is going with its BR1100F. HP is also positioning itself with its Pro X360 or ProBook Fortis G9, as are Lenovo and Dell, which will also offer their products. These manufacturers are not satisfied with Microsoft’s specifications and provide various options such as larger or rotating screens, touch screens, compatible with a stylus, more resistant materials, keyboards resistant to dust and splashes or more options. eye-catching as antimicrobial coatings.
The ball is now in the court of IT services in schools and communities. The education market in France being far from being as organized as the American market for “K-8 schools” (secondary education ranging from elementary to college).