Windows 10X, Microsoftâs Chrome OS competitor that was announced in 2019 alongside the Surface Neo, has apparently been shelved, according to a report from Petri. While itâs not clear if Microsoft has completely abandoned the project, itâs not arriving this year and the âcompany has shifted resources to Windows 10 and 10X is on the back burner,â according to Petriâs sources.
Microsoft has a long and messy history of trying to make âlightâ versions of Windows that are optimized for mobile devices.
First was the awful Windows RT, the Windows 8-era OS optimized for ARM processors, and then Windows 10 S tried to pare down Windows functionality to improve performance on low-power devices. Neither OS had much success, and both were quickly shelved. It appears Windows 10X is destined for the same fate, except it might never be available to users in the first place.
Thereâs a good chance the pandemic and recent hardware advances reframed Microsoftâs perspective. The company made a ton of money during the pandemic, with revenue from Windows OEM growing by 10% â all this without the need for a âlightâ Chrome OS competitor. Laptops processors are performing better than ever too, and even budget devices are more than useable with decent battery life.
This isnât to say Windows canât use some improvements; the touchscreen experience still isnât anywhere near that of Android and iOS, so itâs still best suited as an OS for the mouse and keyboard. Instead, it might make more sense to take some of the work put into Windows 10X and apply it to standard Windows 10, allowing the OS to adapt depending on the type of device itâs being used on.
The company is reportedly planning a major visual overhaul for Windows 10 at its Build conference later this month, so thereâs a chance weâll hear more then. Hopefully the Surface Neo hasnât been shelved too; itâs still one of the most exciting bits of PC hardware Iâve seen in years.
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