Microsoft said in May that it would prioritize bringing its new version of Windows, known as Windows 10X, to single-screened devices first. According to a new report, the release of Windows 10X won’t arrive until the spring of 2021, with dual-screen devices coming in 2022.
The report, from ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, states that Microsoft is pushing to release the first round of Windows 10X devices in the spring of next year with a focus on business (especially people who work directly with the public) and education users. In the spring of 2022, the company plans to release the software “for additional single-screen and dual-screen devices.”
In addition to Windows 10X not arriving until next year, ZDNet also reports that support for running older Win32 apps on the platform may not arrive until at least 2022. Windows Central has also reported that Windows 10X won’t ship with support for legacy applications at launch.
The move would make web apps more important on Windows and offer a more direct rival to the Chromebooks powered by Google’s Chrome OS that are popular in education and other cost-sensitive markets.
Microsoft Surface Neo and Surface Duo: Dual-screen prototypes up close
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With Microsoft moving its Edge browser onto Google’s Chromium — the same foundation as Chrome — web apps on Windows are more likely to avoid the compatibility problems that have dogged Microsoft with its earlier fully in-house project. Microsoft is a major partner in Google’s effort to make the web a more powerful platform for interactive apps, not just relatively static documents.
Microsoft declined to comment.
Microsoft first announced the new update in October alongside a dual-screen PC called the Surface Neo and a dual-screen Android-powered phone called the Surface Duo. Both Surface devices were due to arrive this holiday season, but according to an earlier ZDNet report the Neo and other dual-screen Windows 10X-powered PCs may be delayed beyond 2020.
A person familiar with the company’s plans told CNET in May that Microsoft had paused its Windows 10X development plans for the Surface Neo and other dual-screen devices to better prioritize resources during the coronavirus pandemic, with the priority for the OS update now shifting to single-screen devices.
The company does, however, continue to tease its Surface Duo dual-screen Android device, with several execs, including Chief Product Officer Panos Panay, recently tweeting out pictures of the upcoming phone in action.
