Over a year ago, more specifically, in the fall of 2019, Microsoft unveiled its plans to release Windows 10X, a competitor to Chrome OS. The new light-weight version of the Windows operating system was supposed to launch this year, ie. in late 2021. Now, according to a report, the software giant has paused the development of Windows 10X.
According to a report from Petri, Microsoft has shelved Windows 10X, and the much-awaited Chrome OS competitor won’t ship in 2021. The new operating system was originally designed for dual-screen devices like the Surface Neo and was set to launch later this year. However, later in 2020, the company decided to delay the dual-screen version of the OS and focus on single-screen devices to provide a simple, sleek, faster, and more secure experience to users.
Windows 10X May Never Launch in Its Current Form
As per the new report, the company has changed its plans of launching Windows 10X in 2021 and the new launch date remains unclear. Some reports suggest that Windows 10X may never launch in its current form, as Microsoft is now said to be focusing on the Sun Valley update for Windows 10. The new Windows 10 update will enable support for rounded corners across top-level UI components and ditch Windows 95-era icons for modern versions.
To those unaware of what Windows 10X is, it was supposed to be a competitor for Google’s Chrome OS. Unlike Windows 10, Windows 10X was going to be a lightweight operating system with a much simpler UI, faster experience, and a more secure system. As spotted in the leaked build, Windows 10X showed Chrome OS-like static icons for Microsoft Store apps. Additionally, 10X would also feature a new center-aligned taskbar and even removed the Control Panel. Apart from these features, it also included a new security feature to prevent stolen devices from being wiped out and re-used.
As we said before, it’s not clear if Microsoft will launch Windows 10X in the future, but the development of this lightweight operating system has been paused for now. However, the company may include these new features of Windows 10X in regular Windows 10 OS later this year.
