Windows 10X has had a rough time of it. It was first announced in October 2019 as an OS for dual-screen devices, even releasing some emulators that you can still download. The last emulator was released in March 2020, and by May, Windows 10X was delayed. Not only was it delayed, but it was being repurposed for single-screen entry-level PCs. Microsoft said that it wanted to meet customers where they are, even though you"ll still need to buy a new PC to get the new OS.
Any trace of the Surface Neo has been scrubbed from the company"s website, and apparently, that"s coming in 2022. Up until now, we"ve been planning on seeing a Windows 10X launch in the spring with all new devices, but according to a new report from Windows Central"s Zac Bowden, that"s not happening.
Instead, Windows 10X should be finalized some time this spring, with devices shipping in the second half of this year. Since Microsoft doesn"t bother to actually communicate any of this stuff, it raises questions. After all, the last anyone heard about this from Microsoft, Windows 10X was still going to natively support Win32 apps, but we know from leaks that that isn"t the case anymore. There have also been zero updates on the Surface Neo.
A delay for the single-screen version of Windows 10X does probably mean that the dual-screen version is further delayed, since dual-screen devices are effectively on the back burner. But also, every Windows 10X delay so far has also seriously affected the development of Windows 10. Last fall, Windows 10 got a minor update, and the reason for that was because Windows 10X was supposed to RTM. Windows 10X got pushed back to the spring, so Windows 10 is getting another minor update for 21H1.
Windows 10 version 21H2 is supposed to be a major update, bringing with it big design changes that are codenamed Sun Valley. On top of that, Windows on ARM PCs are finally getting x64 emulation, and we might even get Android apps on Windows 10 with Project Latte. If a Windows 10X delay means another minor update for Windows 10, this could all get pushed back to next spring.
But luckily, Bowden still says that Windows 10X is scheduled to be finalized this spring, so it shouldn"t be enough of a delay to affect Windows 10. But from everything we"ve seen so far on this rocky road called Windows 10X development, anything is possible.