Microsoft Delaying Windows 10X Devices After Hitting Roadblocks

Microsoft will be delaying the release of devices running on Windows 10X due to roadblocks in development, a report said.

Months ago, Microsoft announced that it will be delaying its dual-screened Surface Neo and Surface Duo and will work on making Windows 10X run on single-screened devices instead.

This move, announced by chief product officer Panos Panay, was made so that the company can release devices and a new operating system that will meet consumers where they are at the moment.

A report, however, reveals that even Windows 10X, and not just the new devices, will be further delayed. Sources speaking with ZDNet claimed that the Redmond tech giant will be releasing the first Windows 10X devices primarily for businesses and education in the spring of 2021. The company will then roll out the new OS to more devices, including dual-screen, in the spring of 2022.

The release windows provided by the sources are different from what Microsoft originally announced in 2019 when it revealed the Surface Neo and Surface Duo. At the time, the company said it is planning to release the devices in 2020. Certain issues, however, pushed the release window back several times.

According to ZDNet, Windows 10X will not offer support for running Win32 apps in containers at launch. Instead, the OS will only be able to run Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and web apps at launch. The company hasn't stopped looking for ways to make Windows 10X run Win32 apps in containers. However, it may take until 2022 before it succeeds in making it work.

The sources claimed that Microsoft may also change the rate at which it releases updates for the regular Windows 10 so that its developers will be able to work on Windows 10X. The latter is not an entirely new operating system. Rather, it is a Windows 10 variant that's more modular in form and offers a simpler, easier to use interface.

If this is accurate, then Windows 10 users will likely see one feature update per year starting in 2021 to make way for Windows 10X. Microsoft will be releasing Windows 10X in 2021H1, followed by an update to the “regular” Windows 10 in 2021H2, an update to Windows 10X in 2022H1, an update to Windows 10 in 2022H2 and so on.

Of course, these details remain unconfirmed as Microsoft has not yet announced anything.