Story credit: Zac Bowden, Windows 10x: Everything you need to know, https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-10x
In case you have not heard, Microsoft will be launching a brand-new operating system (OS), named Windows 10x to be integrated into foldable PCs in both dual and single-screen configurations. This OS has been developed based on the existing Windows 10 OS with enhanced security and elevated contemporary user experience, without losing its signature app support.
1. A New User Experience
Windows 10x have a new user interface (UI), or shell, that has utilised modern technologies to help it adapt with single-screen or double-screen foldable PCs depending on the posture for usage. A very adaptable UI suited for tablet, laptop, or tent mode, hence giving users the best experience.
2. A New Start Menu
Microsoft has prioritised productivity in redesigning the Start menu by emphasising a system-wide search bar along the top to combine both web search and application search in grid tile format. A “recommended area” has also been incorporated to ease the user in searching for the most used or relevant apps to suit their usage history with constant updates.
3. A New Taskbar
It includes a versatile taskbar that can adapt to the usage of the device with the Start button, pinned and running apps centred on the Taskbar. Besides that, it is highly customisable, and the taskbar can be aligned to the left side of the screen, akin Windows 10.
If you are running an app, the new touch-centric taskbar will minimize itself and you can swipe up to access the Start menu or Action Center, especially when you are using it as a tablet or in tent mode.
4. A New Action Center
It complements the new Start and Taskbar experiences with an emphasis on quick actions, so you do not have to switch between apps and leave the Action Center while you can jump directly into that specific quick action. On top of that, it features items such as volume control, power options, and battery percentage view. Furthermore, the design of this Action Center mimics a control centre with notifications on display separately.
5. A New Set-Up Experience
A beautified Windows setup process, it eliminates Cortona throughout this process while maintaining its traditional setup experience with a modern aesthetic feel while you choose your preferred language, signing into your Microsoft account, and agreeing to terms and conditions.
6. Compose mode
You can easily switch between consumption and productive mode with the new Compose mode, where it can be automatically initiated on products such as Surface Neo when you attach your keyboard to the device. This means you can adjust between touch-first and keyboard/mouse centric input to suit your needs.
7. Legacy App Support
When running a legacy app on your Windows 10x, a new containerised mode helps with spinning up a stripped-down version of Windows 10 in the background. Hence, improving battery life and overall performance without this modern OS being bogged down by these legacy components.
Apart from that, modern UWP and web apps run natively on Windows 10x, however, Microsoft has been working hard in ensuring there is no difference in the performance of both legacy apps and modern apps. With containerisation, Win32 apps will not affect the performance of the overall system as it is sandboxed and any programmes that will affect system files or partition hard drives are prohibited.
8. Improved Windows Update
Microsoft has also worked in speeding up Windows Update for this modern OS, and it won’t take long as these updates are done in the background of the OS and will not require any reboot from the beginning to the end of the update. It will not take longer than 15 minutes for the PC to be restarted after the update is complete.
Therefore, it will take about 90 seconds to reboot after an update, with internal testing suggesting so, which reflects on the huge improvement from Windows 10 in terms of updates, where it took 5 to 20 minutes to reboot, varying from devices.
9. Dynamic wallpapers
Official announcements from Microsoft has not been made yet, however, Windows 10x features dynamic wallpapers that change according to multiple factors, such as the timing of usage of the device where a wallpaper of a mountain view at a different time of the day will be displayed accordingly.
10. Exclusive to devices that only comes with Windows 10x
This OS will only be available in devices that contain it, and these devices will only begin shipping in the second half of 2020. This OS neither is available for purchase nor download to install on existing hardware, nor as an update for Windows 10 users.
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