Last updated on November 24, 2020
News is emerging on Microsoft’s plans for its new Windows 10X. It’s not, as you might assume, the next iteration of Windows 10, but a variant (originally codenamed “Windows Lite” and “Santorini”), initially conceived as a Chrome OS competitor. When it was officially unveiled in October 2019, the focus had shifted to the emerging, premium dual-screen market. The pandemic apparently has caused Microsoft to step back to that original plan. But if the proposed inexpensive devices are too low power to run the flagship Microsoft applications, will consumers be interested?
- Microsoft to launch Windows 10X as a web-first OS without local Win32 app support [Windows Central] “Web apps will be the driving factor for app availability on Windows 10X, just like Chrome OS.”
- Windows 10X might not arrive until 2021 [The Verge] “Microsoft’s plans for traditional win32 desktop application support in Windows 10X have also caused issues for the OS development. Sources tell The Verge that Microsoft has been experiencing performance issues with win32 apps on Windows 10X, alongside compatibility issues with more complicated apps that integrate into the OS.”
- Here’s the glaring potential flaw in Windows 10X devices as Chromebook competitors [About Chromebooks] “How many people use Windows because they actually like Windows as compared to people who use Windows because they want or need to run Windows desktop apps?”
- Microsoft is working on an Azure-powered Cloud PC service [ZDNet] “Cloud PC won’t replace locally installed Windows (and Office) — for the foreseeable future, anyway. It will be an option for customers who want to use their own Windows PCs made by Microsoft and/or other PC makers basically like thin clients, with Windows, Office and potentially other software delivered virtually by Microsoft.”
From the Ohio Web Library:
- “Windows 10X Will Come to All Laptops, Not Just Foldables: Windows10X to Have a Different UI – Depending on Your Device.” TWICE: This Week in Consumer Electronics, vol. 34, no. 19, Nov. 2019, p. 27.
- Hachman, Mark. “Microsoft’s Windows 10X: A Dozen Ways It’s Cooler than Just Two Screens.” PCWorld, vol. 38, no. 3, Mar. 2020, pp. 19–26.
- Magaña, Eduardo, et al. “Remote Access Protocols for Desktop-as-a-Service Solutions.” PLoS ONE, vol. 14, no. 01, Jan. 2019, pp. 1–28.
