A near-final build of Windows 10X has leaked on to the web, giving those interested in going through the tricky process of installing it a glimpse at Microsoft’s latest OS – a competitor to Google’s lightweight Chrome OS. The initial release is expected to be aimed only at single screened PCs and is reportedly set to launch this spring.
Windows 10X was first showed off back in October 2019 and was aimed at dual-screened devices like the Surface Neo. However, with the Neo delayed indefinitely, the Redmond giant repurposed the OS for single-screened devices. Additionally, while the OS was expected to debut with support for Win32 apps through a virtualization technology called VAIL, those plans reportedly changed, making Windows 10X an offering slated to debut on low-end devices due to its lightweight nature.
Microsoft is supposedly planning to add Win32 app support in the future and the OS is not expected to arrive on new form factors – such as dual-screened devices – till at least 2022. A report from The Verge suggests that the leaked build contains support for Win32 apps in a developer-only mode which cannot be accessed by general users. For now, the offering runs UWP apps from the Microsoft Store and Progressive Web Apps through the Chromium-based Edge browser.
With the development of the company’s lightweight OS now nearing completion, it will be interesting to see when the firm plans to unveil the offering officially. Rumors are making the rounds that the launch will be one without much fanfare. OEM partners are also expected to unveil low-power PCs running Windows 10X aimed at the education market and the like in the coming months.
Considering the risks and complexities associated with installing leaked builds, we will not be posting links to any resources for the build. Additionally, we always urge users to exercise caution and not install these builds on their main machines.