Leak points to Windows 10X coming to laptops

Microsoft turned heads when it recently revealed a prototype of its dual-screen Surface Neo that was also running an early build of its new Windows 10X operating system. Built on Windows Core OS, the new Windows 10X is designed to run on Intel chips and features a more streamlined UI focused on both ease of use and battery optimization. A regular version of Windows 10 would chew up too much battery to be useful for a device needing to keep two displays powered, which is why Microsoft invested in the development of the new Windows variant.

Although Microsoft has so far indicated that Windows 10X is designed specifically for dual-screen and foldable devices, an official company webpage suggested that it will also be coming to laptops. Thankfully, a keen-eyed observer spotted the reference to laptops and took a quick screenshot for posterity as the page has now been deleted. Whether it was an oversight, or the genuine insight into Microsoft’s plans remains to be seen.

Windows 10X is designed to run Win32-based apps in a container rather than Windows UWP apps, which allows the operating system to manage how much power each app is using. It is also designed to play nicely with Microsoft’s web-based apps including versions of Windows and Outlook. If Windows 10X does make it to laptops, it seems ideally placed to take on and recapture the market share that it has lost to Google Chromebooks. Time will, naturally, reveal all, but it does represent an intriguing prospect.