A brand new version of Windows is coming, which will change the way we interact with our PCs – and even our ideas of what a PC actually is. Here’s everything you need to know Windows 10X as it stands now, and the devices that will be compatible in 2021.
The obvious place to start is with what Windows 10X actually is. It is not an upgrade Windows 10 as such, but a variant specifically designed for dual-screen and lightweight, low-cost devices. Originally scheduled to appear on the now-delayed Surface Neo, it seems to be the focus of Windows 10X has shifted for now to more conventional, budget devices, with support for two screens later.
And that may not be surprising. Supporting two linked screens instead of one is more complex than you might think. The user may want two programs side by side, or a program on the top half and a keyboard on the other, or maybe a movie that will only show on one screen when using the folding device in tent mode.
However, the new operating system works easily one screen and two, bringing with it the benefits we will soon expecttline. As we said, it now seems likely to show up on traditional laptops from the usual suspects before making its way into more ambitious dual-screen projects.
G / O Media can receive a commission
Windows 10X is more than a top layer for Microsoft’s existing software. It’s actually built on another new initiative called Windows Core OS, which is a back-to-basics, lightweight version of Windows (hence the “Core”) that can be easily customized for different types of devices and different form factors.
Windows Core OS makes Windows modular and more versatile, and to achieve that goal, it has thrown out some of the older, legacy features that standard Windows had for decades at this point. Ultimately, it will support Windows on any device, although that will take time. For now it runs under Windows 10X, on the Xbox series X and Series S, and the HoloLens 2.
The development of Windows Core OS means that Windows 10X will not run traditional Win32 desktop applications when it launches in 2021. That means programs like Photoshop and Chrome are not available to begin with. What you can run are Microsoft staples like the Edge browser and apps running from the internet.
Eventually Win32 support will be added, although these applications run in a closed container for security and performance reasons. When these programs are closed, they cannot disrupt the rest of the system or affect battery life, which (in theory) should mean Windows 10X doesn’t suffer from and will be problems with gradual delay faster on less powerful hardware.
Old components such as Control Panel and Device Manager hanging on by a wire in Windows 10 will disappear in Windows 10X. The Start menu is cleaner and more streamlined, the taskbar centers icons instead of arranging them from the left, and the action center also gets a redesign (it doesn’t look much like the control center now in macOS).
Like most Windows 10X, File Explorer becomes more web-centric, with OneDrive even more tightly integrated than Windows 10. It’s a Windows that’s a bit more like ChromeOS in some ways and a bit more like Android in others, rprimarily detached from the web and designed to adapt to multiple screen sizes and even multiple screens.
User security has been enhanced by the changes made in Windows 10X, to. We’ve already talked about older Win32 applications running in their own little virtual box, but it will be the same for other parts of the operating system: viruses and malware cannot access the system settings or the registry to do damage.
Then there are the benefits of using a mobile device with two screens, which are comparable to the benefits of connect a second monitor on your laptop or desktop. You have more room to do everything, it is easier to use apps side by side, and it makes moving files and objects between programs a lot easier – just drag and drop.
Microsoft has been promising Windows 10X since late 2019, and with rumors about it a Surface Neo delay, it will be in the hands of consumers later than Microsoft originally intended. In 2021 we will see at least some Windows 10X products, however, with education and business markets first in line, and consumer devices second.
While Microsoft’s Surface Duo has already appeared, it runs on Android, not Windows 10X. The Surface NeoWindows 10X, which will run Windows 10X, was promised by the end of 2020, but development seems to be on hold for now – there’s little official word from Microsoft, but those in the know say it might not appear until 2022.
As for Windows 10X, again, there is little official news, however within sources suggest that it is almost ready. In the coming months, we should see this new look to Windows – a truly modern version of the Microsoft operating system – in the wild.