Rumor: Microsoft plans to release Windows 10X for single screen in 2021
Anonymous sources have told ZDNet that Windows 10X is now scheduled for spring 2021. Then the operating system will be available for single screen devices. Windows 10X will not be compatible with dual-screen devices until spring 2022.
The ZDNet sources say Windows 10X will be available for business customers and educational institutions starting next spring. For business customers, Microsoft mainly focuses on employees who are in direct contact with customers. A year later, the OS is also coming to more devices, including dual-screen devices.
The site emphasizes that it concerns internal plans and targets; Microsoft can therefore decide to adjust it at any time. However, if the rumors are correct, the Surface Neo tablet seems to have been postponed until the spring of 2022. Previous rumors spoke of a postponement until 2021.
When Microsoft unveiled Windows 10X last October, the tech company was still talking about a release before the end of this year. Back then, it was an operating system specifically designed for dual-screen devices. However, Microsoft said a few months ago that it will also bring the OS to single-screen devices. Due to the corona virus, we would now live in a ‘completely different world’, in which users make more use of cloud services.
ZDNet also confirms an article from Windows Central, which claims that Windows 10X will not be able to run Win32 applications with the first release. Instead, the operating system would only support UWP apps and web apps. Microsoft has decided to do this according to Windows Central, because the operating system is now primarily designed for cheaper, Chromebook-like devices. Such devices would not be powerful enough to run the Win32 apps through a container.
Instead, certain Win32 apps could be streamed to the Windows 10X device via Microsoft servers. According to ZDNet, Microsoft has not specified the Win32 container, but it will not be available for the operating system until 2022.
Finally, the ZDNet sources say Microsoft wants to cut development time from Windows 10 so that these developers can focus on Windows 10X. As a result, Microsoft would only release one Windows 10 feature update per year. The company would schedule these updates with new features in the fall so that it can release Windows 10X updates in the spring. Microsoft did not want to comment on the Windows plans vis-à-vis ZDNet.