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Windows 10X - A 'Lite' version for Windows 10 for dual-screen devices

During the unveiling of the Surface Neo, Microsoft also showed off an early build of Windows 10X - a Windows 10 version that is tailored exclusively to take advantage of dual-screen devices. Windows 10X will allow users to run regular Win32 apps while also offering new ways of interacting with apps that are designed for dual-screens. Windows 10X will be available next year on the Surface Neo and similar devices from Asus, HP, Dell, and Lenovo.
We have been hearing rumbling about a new version of Windows 10 called Windows 10 Core OS for quite some time now and today, at the Surface event, Microsoft showed a sneak peak of what to expect from the latest Windows 10 version - Windows 10X. With Windows 10X, Microsoft seems to have finally found a solution that corrects some of the deficiencies of Windows RT and Windows 10 while aspiring to be more mobile, productive, and dual-screen friendly.
Windows 10X is not a new Windows version that was built from scratch. It is the regular Windows 10 built on the familiar OneCore foundation we've known all this while with an UI that is tailored for dual-screen devices. The most obvious change is in the Start menu which now shows app icons instead of live tiles along with a list of recent documents. If you've used Microsoft Launcher on Android, you know where the inspiration is coming from.

Unlike Windows RT and Windows 10 S, Windows 10X supports regular Win32 apps out-of-the-box. It runs Win32 apps in a container of sorts to prevent them from eating into battery life. Details about this are scarce as of now, we should be hearing more during Build 2020. Windows 10X is affirmation that the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is not dead and with developers getting close to a year to play with device prototypes, expect to see a fairly good collection of apps that take advantage of dual-screen displays in the Microsoft Store soon.
Windows 10X is not something you'd rather be able to install directly on any PC (although it could be technically possible) or upgrade from your current desktop. The new OS will be available in fall 2020 exclusively for dual-screen devices that can fold out to offer a decent laptop experience. OEMs such as Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo will also be offering dual-screen devices powered by Windows 10X, similar to the Surface Neo, next year.

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam