Newsletter Archives

• Windows 10X coming to a laptop near you – some day

  Posted on May 4, 2020 at 11:59 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  It’s official. Windows honcho Panos Panay just posted an update to Microsoft’s gameplan for Windows 10X, the Chromebook challenger due later this year on foldable devices.

  Oh. Wait a sec. No, the foldable devices are out.

  No. Wait another sec. It might not arrive this year.

  Panay starts with a recap of the Win10 version 2004 release we’re expecting later this month:

  In this update, we are going to make some things easier and faster for our customers like introducing a more streamlined way to pair Bluetooth devices in Windows… We are bringing practical improvements in the bigger things, like an improved tablet experience when you detach your 2-in-1’s keyboard, allowing you to keep the familiarity of your desktop while at the same time optimizing for touch. As always, we are continuing our focus on empowering everyone with Windows, and with the May 2020 Update we are bringing “drag and drop” to those who use our Eye Control functionality*. We are even bringing in some fun, like making kamoji available directly in the Windows emoji keyboard. ☜(ﾟヮﾟ☜)

  Which is great if you really want to streamline Bluetooth pairing, need a better experience when you detach your 2-in-1’s keyboard, use drag ‘n drop for Eye Control, and you’re suffering from a dearth of kamoji. Be still my beating heart. Add to that great advances for Windows under Linux, Notepad, and Cortana getting kicked to the Office curb, and we have a whole lot of cool stuff to look forward to later this month.

  With the marketing blurb out of the way, we get to the crux of the matter:

  With Windows 10X, we designed for flexibility, and that flexibility has enabled us to pivot our focus toward single-screen Windows 10X devices that leverage the power of the cloud to help our customers work, learn and play in new ways. These single-screen devices will be the first expression of Windows 10X that we deliver to our customers, and we will continue to look for the right moment, in conjunction with our OEM partners, to bring dual-screen devices to market.

  So dual-screen phones/tablets aren’t in the near future. Nevermind. I wasn’t really that interested anyway.

  It would be nice if we could get an operating system that challenges ChromeOS for stability and ease of use, but still runs Windows programs. That’s the promise. Let’s see if we get it.

  Windows News Win10 X

• Farewell, Neo, we hardly knew ye

  Posted on April 9, 2020 at 07:36 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  

  (Now-nixed Neo on the right; Duo on the left. Thx for the correction WildBill!)

  Those of you waiting with bated breath for the arrival of Microsoft’s announced Surface Neo will have to bate a little longer.

  Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet has the inside scoop:

  My contacts say that Chief Product Officer Panos Panay informed some of his team internally today, April 8, that Microsoft wouldn’t be delivering its own Surface Neo dual-screen 10X devices this calendar year.

  So if you’ve been setting aside the shekels for a new dual-screen Windows machine around Christmas time, you can use the money for something else. I, for one, will hardly notice the difference.

  There’s something larger afoot here, besides the postponement of a device that I think about 0.00001% of the Windows universe will actually use. Microsoft’s stopped using the absurd smoke screen about Windows 10X (nee Windows Lite) being for dual-screen devices only. We may get a Windows-based Chromebook competitor sooner rather than later if Win10X isn’t locked into the concept of dual-screen.

  I use the term “competitor” lightly, of course. It’ll take years for MS to make a little Windows that actually, you know, works.

  Windows News Surface Duo, Surface Neo, Win10 X

• Mary Branscombe: A deeper dive into Windows 10X

  Posted on February 28, 2020 at 08:06 CST by woody • Comment in the Forums

  TechRepublic just published an excellent article by Mary Branscombe (@marypcbuk on Twitter) that digs into the internals of (what we know about) Windows 10X:

  Windows 10X is designed for security and isolation, running all traditional Win32 apps in a container (actually a lightweight VM), separating the state of apps and drivers from the OS itself (with all the system files, registry keys and other data for an app written to an app data folder in the Win32 container rather than into the OS), and making the OS read-only. That speeds up updates, and means you don’t need as much anti-malware scanning — which again improves performance.

  Windows Core OS. What might appear in the second 2020 update to Win10 (20H2) and the first update in 2021 (21H1). Small and large cores. Krypton Containers. WinUI 3.0. Updates to user interface controls that don’t require changes to the operating system. Good stuff.

  If you thought Win10X was just for Neo and Duo, arriving around Christmas time, this article should be a real eye-opener.

  (TechRepublic is a ZDNet property. Like ZDNet, it’s owned by CBS.)

  Windows News Win10 X

• Windows 10X: Future fireworks or another dud?

  Posted on February 24, 2020 at 01:15 CST by Tracey Capen • Comment in the Forums

  

  WOODY’S WINDOWS WATCH

  By Woody Leonhard

  Last week, Microsoft took the wraps off its next, next, next version of Windows, the long-anticipated Windows Lite – er, Windows 10X.

  Billed as the dual-screen version of Windows, and expected to ship around Christmas time with the two-screen folding Surface Neo and Surface Duo, Windows 10X seems positioned to become the next version of the last version of Windows.

  I’m skeptical — as usual.

  Read the full story in AskWoody Plus Newsletter 17.8.0 (2020-02-24).

  Windows News AskWoody Plus Newsletter, Containers, Win10 X, Windows 10 upgrades

• Surface Neo and Duo – coming a year from now

  Posted on October 2, 2019 at 10:46 CDT by woody • Comment in the Forums

  I just finished watching the Surface presentation. Most of it was ho-hum, well anticipated (thanks, Evan!), and kind of repetitive. The Surface Pro X (with an ARM chip) is moderately interesting. Mary Jo Foley has details, availability and pricing on ZDNet.

  But then the presentation ended with a bang. Microsoft is finally bringing out the almost-decade-old concept of a mobile machine with side-by-side screens, called Andromeda, er, Surface Neo. Along with Surface Neo, we’ll also get a tweaked version of Win10 called Windows 10 Lite, er, Windows Core OS, uh, Windows 10 X, that supports two interacting side-by-side screens with a hinge in the middle.

  Details are scarce, but Paul Thurrott has a speculative article about Win10X (paywalled). No, Win10X isn’t the son of Win10 in S Mode. (No, Windows 10 X does not run on Surface Pro X. What, you expected any different? UPDATE: The Surface Pro X also isn’t compatible with TypeCovers.)

  That’s kind of cool, albeit a year out. What’s really interesting is the Android phone that Microsoft’s going to deliver in about a year: the Surface Duo. Yes, that’s right: It’s an Android phone, er, device with two side-by-side, interacting and folding screens with a hinge in the middle. Details in Wired.

  As folks get their hands on working prototypes, we’ll have lots more coverage. For now, sit tight. We’ll have lots to discuss as the details hit the fan.

  Hardware, Windows 10 Releases Surface Duo, Surface Neo, Win10 X