14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft has started the public testing of a new Windows 10 tablet experience ahead of the possible debut for production devices as part of the 20H1 feature update in the spring of 2020.
The new tablet mode introduces a series of changes versus the existing version already available in Windows 10.
For example, switching from PC to tablet on a 2-in-1 device triggers this mode automatically, but instead of sending users to the Start screen, this new version retains the desktop with a bunch of touch improvements.
The taskbar icons feature increased spacing, so it’s easier to tap them, while the search box in the lower part of the screen is now collapsed and only displays an icon, without a search box as on the desktop. File Explorer automatically switches to a touch-optimized layout to make it easier to work with files using touch input, while the touch keyboard fires up when tapping text fields.
Still in beta development stage
This new experience is still flagged as beta, and the old tablet mode will stay in Windows 10 and be available on manual activation. The revamped mode, however, will kick in automatically when removing the keyboard from 2-in-1 Windows 10 devices.
Despite Microsoft’s efforts to provide users with a fully-featured tablet mode in Windows, this particular experience has never gained traction, with Windows 10 still being considered a desktop operating system by the majority of users.
Microsoft, however, wants to change this perception more than 7 years after it first launched Windows with touch support, hoping that the upcoming 20H1 feature update would help not only make touch a more common input method in the OS, but also that such an approach would help convince more OEMs to build tablets running Windows.
The Windows 10 20H1 feature update is due to be finalized in March 2020, and Microsoft promises further tablet mode refinements based on user feedback.