Microsoft's Windows 10X operating system may not appear until 2021 when it was originally planned for dual-screen devices. Earlier this year, the software giant revealed that Windows 10X is being reworked for single-screen devices, instead of hardware like the Surface Neo. These changes mean that Microsoft will not release Windows 10X as it had planned later this year.
ZDNet reports that single-screen devices running Windows 10X are expected to arrive in spring 2021, designed for educational and business usage. Microsoft is rumored to launch dual-screen hardware running Windows 10X a year later. If accurate, this is a significant delay to original launch plans for Microsoft.
Microsoft cited the pandemic coronavirus as part of the reason for its change to Windows 10X. "The world is a very different place from last October when we shared our vision for a new category of Windows dual screen devices," Surface and Windows chief Panos Panay said back in May.
After the company saw a spike in Microsoft Teams and Windows 10 use, Microsoft has been reworking a lot of its products to better cater for remote work and more essential devices such as PCs and laptops.
Microsoft's plans to support conventional win32 desktop application in Windows 10X which have also created problems with the development of the OS. Sources tell The Verge that Microsoft has experienced performance issues with win32 apps running on Windows 10X, along with compatibility issues with more complicated apps that integrate into the OS. Such issues have led to a launch error on Windows 10X.
Microsoft is now also working to bring some of its UI and UX improvements to Windows 10 itself. With an updated Start menu design and a new Windows 10 Settings icon that originally appeared in Windows 10X, early hints at that have begun happening.
In the months ahead we plan to see more interface changes on Windows 10. Microsoft now has an entire team dedicated to design consistency and Windows 10 iconography.
