Microsoft's ambitious Chrome OS alternative, Windows 10X, could be released in spring 2021, says ZDNet report citing sources. Windows 10X was originally intended for dual-screen devices and is expected to arrive this year alongside the Surface Duo.
However, Microsoft has already pushed the release for both. The company said earlier this year that Windows 10X would be released for single-screen devices first, although it didn't give a timeline to follow.
According to the report, education and business users will be the first to get the single-screen Windows 10X next year. The modular operating system will arrive for other single-screen devices and dual-screen devices originally slated for spring 2022.
No support for out-of-the-box Win32 applications
Windows 10X follows a container-based approach to supporting a variety of application platforms, including Win32, UWP, and web apps.
According to Windows Central, the initial version of Windows 10X does not support legacy Win32 apps by default. A big reason: Microsoft has not been able to generate the desired performance.
As an alternative, the company is expected to provide support for Win32 applications through a cloud-based virtualization service. However, the Win32 container on the device may come back in future updates.
The changes are also in line with the general decision to place 10X against Chrome OS as a web operating system. Microsoft's focus has shifted from high-end devices to lightweight PCs for the business and education sector.
Hence, it removes components to track app performance and battery life. Running the Win32 container on such underpowered devices would be a task in itself and could degrade the experience.
Upgrade to one Windows update per year
The release of Windows 10X could also bring a significant change for regular Windows 10 users. According to ZDNet, there may only be one major feature update for Windows 10 starting next year. , because Microsoft would like more engineers to focus on developing Windows 10X.
This means that following the release of Windows 10X for single-screen devices in the spring, the regular Windows 10 feature update will arrive in the fall of 2021. Under the current denomination, it should be 21H2 at minus that the company does not make any changes.
Over the past two years, Microsoft has followed the major / minor strategy where the biggest feature update comes in April (check out Windows 10 2004 features) and a smaller add-on in the second half of the year.
Either way, all of these plans are internal and should be taken with a grain of salt, and the actual release schedule may change in the future.
