The tech giant is hoping to reassert itself in the lucrative education sector with a simpler, web-based version of Windows 10. At its Microsoft Education event on May 2nd, executives from the organisation revealed Windows 10S – an operating system designed specifically with schools in mind. The OS is reckoned to be a direct competitor to Chrome OS, used by Google’s Chromebooks, the current ‘teacher-favourite’ device for classrooms.

Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, said this drive was part of the firm’s effort to “democratise educational opportunity for every student”.

“Technology should make teachers’ lives simpler and spark students’ creativity, not detract from it.

“This is a top priority we are focused on at Microsoft — to deliver streamlined platforms, readily available to all classrooms, so teachers spend less time focused on technology and more time doing what they love: inspiring students.”

10S is set to be a streamlined but enclosed alternative to Windows 10, able to boot faster and offer more security for students, but only run apps from the Microsoft Store. This is a move that has attracted an element of contention, given that it essentially forces users to use the Microsoft Edge browser.

Microsoft is also hoping to attract teachers by offering options for more technical tutoring – Satya Nadella estimates that 65% of students entering school today will work in positions that do not yet exist.

More advanced tools include a new Code Builder for Minecraft: Education Edition, which will allow players to write their own code to use in-game. Microsoft’s own open-source MakeCode which teaches JavaScript will also be integrated with the OS.

Mr. Nadella said: “I’ve seen how students in Jakarta and Tel Aviv use the same Office tools that my daughters use in Seattle; how teachers in Tokyo and Madrid use Minecraft to introduce students to computational thinking; and how a group of young female students in Cairo were inspired to learn to code and built an app to assist Syrian refugees in their community.”

With this release Microsoft will be hoping to regain its status as the go-to educational platform, since lost to Apple devices and Google Chromebooks. Chromebooks are favoured by teachers for their simplicity, integration with tools such as Google Drive and Documents, and cheaper price points. In 2015, Chromebooks accounted for more than half of devices purchased by schools, a proportion which is expected to increase in 2016.

Alongside Windows 10S, Microsoft launched the new Windows Surface Laptop. In addition third party manufacturers including Asus, Acer, Dell, Samsung, Toshiba and Fujitsu have confirmed that they are developing devices which will use the operating system. The upgrade from Windows 10 to 10S will also be free for teachers, and come with a free one-year subscription to Minecraft: Education Edition.

By penetrating classrooms early, Microsoft hopes to build brand loyalty. Mr. Nadella said in an interview last week: “The devices the kids take to their school, or to their college, is going to be influenced by what they were familiar with”.

Responding to the announcements, technology analyst, J. P. Gownder, said: “I am not going to predict that they are going to take back the entire market or anything like that, but this is the best move that I could have seen them making against Chromebooks”.