Microsoft Ditches Windows 10X

Windows 10X, a variant designed originally for dual-screen machines, may never appear according to new reports. The system had also been tipped as an alternative to Google's Chrome OS.

Microsoft officially announced it was working on Windows 10X in October 2019. At that time, the idea was to produce a separate Windows variant that was designed for dual-screen devices.

Such devices, sometimes called clamshells, serve a variety of purposes. Some are designed to fold back completely so that users can switch between using it as a laptop and using it more like a tablet. Microsoft appeared to believe that the tweaks needed to make Windows work well on a device that could have two screens and could use an on-screen keyboard rather than one with physical buttons were big enough to justify the separate version of Windows.

X Becomes Ex

However, Microsoft was developing Windows 10X mainly because it planned its own dual-screen device, the Surface Neo. When it ditched that device, it decided to refocus Windows 10X and instead target it at low-spec machines used mainly for web browsing and light document editing.

It was clearly an attempt to rival Google's Chrome OS as used on Chromebooks. There the goal is to have most of the heavy computing work done online, meaning less need for expensive components on the computer. That can mean cheaper devices with a longer battery life.

Now it appears Microsoft has effectively given up. Petri's Brad Sams reports that not only is Windows 10X not coming out this year, but it's unlikely it will ever show up as a separate system. Instead Microsoft is concentrating on Windows 10 itself. (Source: petri.com)

X Followed S

It's not the first time Microsoft has tried a distinct variant of Windows 10. It previously worked on Windows 10S: the letter didn't stand for anything specific, though Microsoft noted security, simplicity and speed.

The basic premise of Windows 10S was that it could only run applications from Microsoft's own Windows Store and not third party software. While that doesn't seem and obvious advantage for users, Microsoft's logic was that because it had complete oversight of all software on the machine, it could guarantee fast start-ups and operating speeds without any compatibility problems causing slowdowns. (Source: theguardian.com)

What's Your Opinion?

Is Microsoft right to ditch Windows 10X? Will dual-screen devices ever be more than a niche product? Does Microsoft risk confusion by having Windows 10 variants?