14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft took the wraps off several new Surface models at the company’s event on October 2, but in addition to all the hardware that now everybody talks about, the software giant also brought us exciting software news.
Windows 10X, the operating system that’s specifically aimed at dual-screen devices, is finally here, with Microsoft claiming this would power a completely new wave of products from both Microsoft and its partners.
Originally referred to as Windows Lite, Windows 10X runs Win32 apps in containers and can only be installed on dual-screen PCs.
In other words, it can’t be installed on a traditional PC, and Microsoft makes it very clear that it is “not an upgrade if you already own a PC.”
New wave of devices
Windows 10X will launch in the fall of 2020 on devices like Microsoft Surface Neo, and Microsoft says similar devices from ASUS, Dell, HP, and Lenovo are already in the works. These devices will come in different sizes, as Windows 10X can adapt to different screen dimensions and resolutions. All of them, however, will be powered by Intel chips.
“Windows 10X is the best of Windows 10 built to enable unique experiences on multi-posture dual-screen PCs. We have taken the Windows 10 that customers know and love and built Windows 10X in a way that marries the familiar with the new,” Microsoft explains.
Windows 10X is optimized for everything that a dual-screen device brings new to the table, including touch input, stylus support, drag and drop gestures for moving apps from one screen to another, and more importantly, for greater battery life.
“We needed to deliver battery life that could drive not just one, but two screens. We wanted the operating system to be able to manage the battery effect of our huge catalog of Windows apps, whether they were written in the last month or five years ago. And we wanted to deliver the hardware performance and compatibility our customers expect from Windows 10,” Microsoft says.
Microsoft says more information on Windows 10X will be shared in the coming months, as more polishing would be given to the platform before its fall-2020 launch.
