14 DAY TRIAL // One of the Windows 10 improvements planned for the Redstone 3 update is codenamed Project NEON and it represents an UI overhaul that would spread across multiple devices.
Although hints at Project NEON frequently make the rounds, Microsoft has remained completely tight-lipped on everything related to this project, choosing instead to continue improving it behind closed doors. And yet, a reference posted by a Microsoft employee on LinkedIn confirms that Project NEON is real and is coming.
As we’ve reported recently, the profile of a Microsoft employee hints at the upcoming Surface Pro 5, but the very same product designer says that between June 2016 and January 2017 he “partnered with other teams to help develop a new visual design experience (NEON) that will be used across multiple platforms.”
This means that Project NEON is a real thing now, and more of its components should make it to Windows 10 as we get closer to the launch of Redstone 3.
Coming in Redstone 3
Project NEON wouldn’t be used in Windows 10 Creators Update launching in April, despite the fact that some apps already adopted visual tweaks that are scheduled to be part of this overhaul, but in the Redstone 3 OS update due in the fall.
Microsoft is already allowing developers to create applications employing Project NEON features, such as the blurred background and other visual tweaks, but the full focus on this facelift will be announced later this year, probably in the summer.
The Microsoft employee owning the LinkedIn profile that published the Surface Pro 5 and Project NEON references has already removed these entries, saying instead that he’s working as part of the analog design team since June 2016. No hints at Project NEON or Surface Pro 5 are listed in his profile.
As far as the Surface Pro 5 is concerned, this 2-in-1 device is expected to launch in the spring, most likely alongside the Surface Book 2 and the Windows 10 Creators Update as part of a larger Microsoft event.