Windows 10X, Microsoft’s answer to Chrome OS, may not be ready until later this year according to a new report from Windows Central. Earlier this month, Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer said that “it’s going to be a massive year” for Windows, though the exec didn’t discuss anything related to Windows 10X or the Windows 10 “Sun Valley” Update during the event.
This silence is ahead of the release of “The New Windows” is pretty strange, though Microsoft may have some good reasons to remain secretive. According to Zac Bowden from Windows Central, the software giant may have decided earlier this year to delay the release of the first Windows 10X devices to the second half of 2021, which could give the company and its partners more time to iron out the edges of the new OS.
According to my sources, earlier this year the company decided to push the launch of Windows 10X back a bit more to ensure the product is ready and robust for a smooth release. I believe Microsoft is now aiming to sign-off on a shipping build of Windows 10X in late spring, and hopes to have the first single-screen PCs begin shipping later in the second half of this year.
Previous reports suggested that the first Windows 10X devices targeting the Education and Enterprise markets might ship in the first half of 2021 alongside the release of Windows 10 version 21H1, but that’s apparently no longer in the cards. Microsoft is expected to hold a series of digital events focusing on gaming and Windows this year, but it will be interesting to see if Microsoft’s Build 2021 conference, which expected to be held on March 25-27, could be an opportunity for the company to share more details about Windows 10X.
We went hands-on with a leaked Windows 10X build back in January, and our overall impression was that Microsoft did a job transforming an OS initially designed for dual-screen devices into something quite similar to Google’s Chrome OS, with some unique twists and pretty cool animations. This leaked build was not final and many things may have changed since then, but Microsoft may also use the additional development time to add support for legacy Win32 apps on Windows 10X, which would really help the first devices to be more competitive against Chromebooks.
