Microsoft shuts down Windows 11 SE, Chromebook wins
Microsoft has announced that support for Windows 11 SE will end in October 2026, just 5 years after the OS was released. The last SE release is version 24H2, and there will be no more new features or fixes.
What is Windows 11 SE?
Microsoft released Windows 11 SE in November 2021 to combat Google's ChromeOS. The operating system was available only for educational institutions. The lightweight OS for weak computers did not support the operation of regular Win32 applications, only special web applications in the Progressive Web Apps (.pwa) format were supported, which levelled the advantage of Microsoft with its huge baggage of classic applications for all occasions.
Microsoft has made the same mistake many times and from different angles
In 2010, Microsoft abandoned native applications (.cab) for Windows Mobile along with the OS itself. The story ended with the company burying Windows Mobile, Windows Phone, and Nokia's mobile division. The experiment ended with a $7.6 billion write-off, the largest loss in Microsoft's history.
In 2012, Windows RT was released, which ran on ARM architecture and did not support common x86 applications. Since 2014, its development has slowed down, and in 2017, it was announced that all development would be transferred to the Windows 10 S project.
In 2017, Microsoft stopped developing the Windows 8/8.1 kernel and therefore had to stop developing Windows RT, which was partially based on it. Therefore, the launch of Windows 10 S was announced, which incorporated part of the RT development. The project inherited an equally successful fate and soon evolved into Windows 10 S-mode. Laptops for educational institutions came with S-Mode activated and could only run specially written applications. Fortunately, this mode could be simply turned off, turning the useless thing into a regular slow laptop. And that's what system administrators did right after unpacking the device.
This lack of user awareness sincerely upset Microsoft, so in 2021, the company released Windows SE, a version of the OS where S-mode cannot be disabled. While Windows 10's S-mode was still of interest to some, Windows SE was perceived by users as a punishment. That's how we ended up here.
I'd like to believe that Microsoft will leave things as they are and be content with ARM support in Windows 11. But there's no guarantee that the company won't be itching to abandon x86 applications in the near future.
Bottom line.
Microsoft will not release the 25H2 update for SE, and all supported devices will remain on version 24H2 until the end of support. Devices on SE will no longer receive security updates, technical support, or patches after October 2026. The OS will still work, but Microsoft recommends that you dispose of the device and buy a MacBook.
Microsoft has long been focused on Windows 11 Education edition, as well as the ARM version of Windows 11. It is difficult to say whether Microsoft's top management considers the fight against ChromeOS, which, although it does not have a significant market share, is doing well in the US education sector, to be successful. We can definitely say that the development of ChromeOS was not affected by Windows 11 SE.