Microsoft may have cancelled Windows 10X

Microsoft has put the development of Windows 10X on hold and will not release the operating system in 2021, according to insiders. But the truth is that the company may have completely given up on producing its much-hyped Chrome OS competitor.

The news is hardly surprising; things have been very slow for Windows 10X for quite some time now, with Microsoft gradually changing its focus and seeking to lower expectations. Now it seems that the company is more interested in channelling its efforts into Windows 10 proper and the upcoming Sun Valley update.

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Reports of the apparent shelving of Windows 10X first came from Petri where Brad Sams says: "according to people familiar with the company's plans, Microsoft will not be shipping Windows 10X this year and the OS as you know it today, will likely never arrive. The company has shifted resources to Windows 10 and 10X is on the back burner, for now".

So far, Microsoft has neither confirmed nor denied the reports, saying simply that it has "nothing to share" on the subject.

Since it was first announced back in 2019, the plans for Windows 10X had already changed dramatically. Originally destined for dual-screen devices, Microsoft shifted attention to a version for single-screen devices.  There were also reports that previously planned support for Win32 apps was being dropped.

But Windows 10X was about more than supporting different form factors and taking a new approach with the operating system, it was also about a new look. With Sun Valley, Microsoft has already started to incorporate many of these planned visual changes into the regular version of Windows 10. And considering the lukewarm reaction to Windows 10X in general, it is not really surprising that Microsoft has chosen to at the very least press pause on development, if not cancelled it completely.

We already know that there are lots of visual changes coming to Windows 10 with the Sun Valley refresh, and it is likely that Microsoft will now spend more time and money furthering the core of its existing operating system rather than splintering off into another one.