While Windows 10 has been a success in much of the world, it hasn’t had a great rollout in China. In a bid to improve things a little, Microsoft has quietly produced a unique version of 10 for China’s government, with fewer games and more worker oversight.
According to Caixin, the version is called “Windows 10 Specially-provided Edition”. It strips out many of the apps and services aimed at consumers, and instead adds more administrator and security controls. Microsoft worked with CETC, a Chinese state-run technology and defence corporation, to make the version of Windows.
Kow-towing to the Chinese government to produce a custom OS may seem like an odd move for a US software giant, at a time when the US government is seeking to prosecute Chinese government employees for hacking. But Microsoft is hoping that the special version of Windows will help drive adoption of its software in China, while also doing something about the piracy problem it currently faces in the country.
[Caixin via TechInAsia]