Back on October 2nd, when Microsoft unveiled the latest Surface devices, they also showed a new OS, called Windows 10X. It was advertised as a Windows 10 for dual screen devices and foldable devices. It’s actually more than that, as revealed by a new document leak, detailed below.
Coming in 2020 on the likes of Surface Neo, the platform is at its core still Windows 10. It runs both EXE apps and apps from the Windows Store. It’s more adaptive and versatile though, moving the taskbar around, depending on the device. The experience is now more touch optimized and will work just as well on a tablet, laptop, phone or desktop PC.
The start menu becomes a Launcher though, which includes a search bar at the top, an app and website grid in the middle and recommendations at the bottom. Users are able to drag and drop apps and websites as they please, in order to rearrange the grid. You can also create app folders and stack apps together and also show websites.
The lockscreen has one step removed, as there’s no need for a dismissed “curtain” or window with a photo before logging in. Windows Hello will just recognize your face once you pres the Power button and you just have to look at the screen to unlock the device.
The new taskbar can be used to start apps, pin apps for easier access or see currently running apps. You can also have multiple instances of an app grouped together with one icon. There’s also a new Recent app icon, that shows recently used apps. The taskbar is shown in various places in leaks, depending on the device format.
Quick Settings has also been streamlined, in order to make things easily accessible at a single glance. They make take inspiration from Android here, or maybe Apple’s Control Center. Turns out that Windows 10X is sort of a return of the Tablet part of Windows 8, but in a more fashionable form. It also draws inspiration from a few OSes out there, Android and iOS included.
