Not In Time To Launch Users, Windows 10X Has Been Shelved By Microsoft

The idea will be released this year to confront Chrome OS and Chromebook, but new reports show that Microsoft has stopped developing Windows 10X.

For the past 10 years, Microsoft has been trying to build a lighter version of Windows, but all of it has failed. And their latest attempt, Windows 10X - supposed to go head-to-head with Chrome OS - seems to be slipping again, rather than rolling out as expected.

According to a new report from Petri, the Windows 10X operating system won't launch this year and may never even appear in its current form. Earlier many rumors said, Windows 10X, a shortened version of Windows 10, will be intended for dual-screen devices like the Surface Neo. But when the pandemic struck, Microsoft decided to prioritize the platform for single-screen laptops.

Microsoft appears to have shifted its focus to modernizing Windows 10, with many of the graphical elements intended to be used for Windows 10X, the report says. It is expected that these changes will appear later this year through the Sun Valley update of Windows 10.

Introduced in 2019, Windows 10X is seen as Microsoft's answer to Chrome OS and Chromebooks devices. This is a cloud operating system, compactly designed around the OneDrive app - almost similar to Chrome OS. This platform allows Microsoft to enter the low-cost laptop market, where Chromebooks dominate.

However, the pandemic changed everything. Despite global chip shortages, the PC market has remained its strongest growth in recent years as demand for regular laptops has skyrocketed. Windows licensing revenue from PC manufacturers increased by 10%, while on the consumer side by 44%, and there are 1.3 billion Windows 10 computers currently active.

That led Microsoft to decide to focus on improving the Windows core rather than shipping a new version. The company is planning to overhaul the entire Windows 10 interface with new and redesigned icons.

It's not clear if this is the complete end of Microsoft's decade-long effort to simplify Windows. Since 2012, Windows RT was introduced for hybrid computers, and then Windows 10 S appeared in 2017. Both failed to simplify Windows. While Windows 10X appears to be the version closest to this goal, it seems to have been dead since it was barely released.