In a bid to increase Windows 10 adoption in China, Microsoft has built a version of the operating system with features aimed to please Chinese government agencies. According to a Chinese news source cited by Gizmodo, this version of Windows 10 has beefed up security and fewer consumer-specific apps and services.
The head of Microsoft's China division confirmed the Windows 10 customization in an interview with TechInAsia last week. Despite the added security features and the removal of consumer services, the government-specific OS can still run any software compatible with Windows 10, he said.
The customized operating system is one part of larger strategy that the company announced last summer to increase Windows 10 adoption in China. That includes a partnership with China Electronics Technology Group (CETG), which aims to deploy Windows 10 to state-owned infrastructure companies as well as government agencies.
Microsoft also partnered with Unisplendour Corporation (UNIS) and 21Vianet for hybrid cloud services aimed at businesses and government customers.
The strategies were developed in part as a response to combat rampant piracy of Windows software in China, where many PC users run bootleg copies of Microsoft's operating system. To boost adoption of genuine software among consumers, Redmond is building more of China's most popular apps and services into Windows, including making Baidu the default search engine for Microsoft Edge.
As for mobile devices, Microsoft and Lenovo struck a deal last year for more Windows-based smartphones in the Chinese market.
These partnerships are aimed at every corner of Microsoft's business in China, but they're built on a rocky foundation. Besides combating piracy, Microsoft has also been in several recent tussles with the Chinese government. Rumors surfaced last year that government programmers were hacking into the Outlook email service, and in 2014 Chinese officials even banned Windows 8 from running on government computers.