There’s a new version of Windows on the way, and it’s set to change the way we interact with our PCs – and even change our ideas about what a PC really is. Here’s everything you need to know Windows 10X as it is now, and devices that will be compatible across 2021.
The obvious place to start is what Windows 10X really is. It is not an update of Windows 10 as such, but a variant designed specifically for low-cost, lightweight dual-screen devices. Originally scheduled to appear in the now late Surface Neo, it seems that the focus of Windows 10X changed for more conventional and economical devices for now, with support for two screens later.
This may not be surprising. Supporting two linked screens instead of one is more complex than you might think initially. The user may want two programs side by side, or a program on the top half and a keyboard on the other, or perhaps a movie being shown on only one screen if the folding device is being used in tent mode.
However, the new operating system will run easily one screen, as well as two, bringing with it the benefits that we are about totline. As we said, it now seems likely to appear on traditional suspects’ traditional laptops before reaching more ambitious dual-screen projects.
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Windows 10X is more than a top layer for existing Microsoft software. In fact, it is based on another new initiative called Windows Core OS, which is a lightweight version and back to the basics of Windows (hence the “Core”) that can be easily adapted to different types of devices and different formats.
Windows Core OS makes Windows more modular and versatile, and to achieve this goal, he discarded some of the older and legacy features that standard Windows had for decades at this point. Eventually, it will support Windows on all devices, although it will take some time. For now, it is running on Windows 10X, on Xbox Series X and S Series, and HoloLens 2.
The development of the Windows Core operating system means that Windows 10X will not run traditional Win32 desktop applications when it starts appearing in 2021. That means programs like Photoshop and Chrome will not be available to start. What you’ll be able to run are Microsoft staples like the Edge browser and applications running on the web.
Eventually, Win32 support will be added, although these applications will run in a sealed container for security and performance reasons. When these programs are closed, they cannot interfere with the rest of the system or affect battery life, which should (in theory) mean that Windows 10X does not will suffer from any problems of gradual deceleration and will be faster on less powerful hardware.
Old components like Control Panel and Device Manager that are locked connected by a wire on Windows 10 it will have disappeared on Windows 10X. The Start menu is cleaner and simpler, the taskbar centers icons instead of organizing them on the left, and the Action Center has also been redesigned (it doesn’t look much different from the Control Center now on macOS)
Like most Windows 10X, File Explorer becomes more focused on the web, with OneDrive integrated even more tightly than in Windows 10. It is a Windows a little more like ChromeOS in some ways, and a little more like Android on others.unning mostly from the web and designed to adapt to various screen sizes and, in fact, to multiple screens.
User security is enhanced through changes made to Windows 10X, too. We have already mentioned legacy Win32 applications running in their own virtual box, but it will be the same for other parts of the operating system – viruses and malware will not be able to access the system settings or the registry to cause any damage.
So there is the benefits of using a dual screen mobile device, which are similar to the benefits of connecting a second monitor to your laptop or desktop. You have more space to do everything, it’s easier to use apps side by side, and makes the process of moving files and objects between programs much simpler – just drag and drop.
Microsoft has been promising Windows 10X since the end of 2019, and with rumors of an Surface Neo Delay, it will be in consumer hands later than Microsoft originally wanted. We’ll see at least some Windows 10X products in 2021, however, with the education and business markets first, and consumer devices second.
While Microsoft’s Surface Duo already appeared, is running Android, not Windows 10X. O Surface Neo, which will run Windows 10X, had been promised until the end of 2020, but development seems to have been paused for now – there have been few official words from Microsoft, but those who know say it may not appear until 2022.
As for Windows 10X, again, there is little official news, but internal sources are suggesting that it is close to being ready. In the coming months, we should see this redesign of Windows – a truly modern version of Microsoft’s operating system – on the loose.