The Surface Laptop and Windows 10 S have been available for a few weeks now, so it's time to take a look at some things it can – and can't – do in 2017. These are things I have learned as I've used Windows 10 S.
One question I did not address in my original Surface Laptop review and I have been asked is whether Windows 10 S can enroll in the Windows Insider Program.
Luckily, I don't have to spend much time on this as yes, it can. And that includes joining all Insider Rings like Release Preview, Slow Ring, and Fast Ring.
While for many here this may seem obvious there are still many questions new users have about Windows 10 S making it a pertinent subject to explore.
As of right now, enrolling in Release Preview does not get you much outside of some early cumulative updates on occasion. The Insider Fast Ring just installs build 16237 and since Windows 10 S is just Windows 10 Pro everything – including new bugs – is still present with those advanced releases.
Whether you should join the Windows Insider Program on your Surface Laptop is another question. Release Preview is almost certainly safe, whereas Slow and Fast Rings – even with Windows 10 S – will expose you to some "quirks" found in beta OS builds. While build 16237 runs fine on Surface Laptop, those hiccups certainly exist too.
It's worth noting that even if on Fast Ring users can still at any point switch to Windows 10 Pro from Windows 10 S through the Windows Store and not lose data, or have to roll back.
6 things you need to know about Windows 10 S and Surface Laptop
All this conjecture just reinforces the idea that Windows 10 S is Window 10 Pro but with the limit of only Windows Store apps. Everything else is the same including enrollment in the Windows Insider Program.
So, feel free to jump in and get your feet wet. If you run into some serious problems you can watch our guide on how to re-install Windows 10 S.
