Windows 10X is Microsoft’s OS for dual-screen devices

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Microsoft is set to hold its mega hardware event on Oct.02 to unveil new Surface products. It’s going to be one of the biggest Surface events. One of the most exciting things the company is expected to unveil is the long-rumored dual-screen Surface device, which Microsoft has been developing under the Project Centaurus. Ahead of the official unveiling, a reliable tipster has revealed that the dual-screen device would run Microsoft’s Windows 10X software.

The Surface event is set to start at 10 AM ET on Wednesday in New York City. The software giant will be streaming the event live. If you want to watch it from the comfort of your home or office, head over to Microsoft’s website at 10 AM ET. The company will also stream it on its Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Windows 10X could support regular Windows apps

Though industry experts and Microsoft fans have a fair idea of what the company has in store for the event, it could still deliver some surprises. The ever-reliable Twitter tipster Evan Blass said in a tweet that Microsoft could unveil the dual-screen Centaurus product at the October 2 event.

The dual-screen device won’t be running the regular Windows 10 operating system or the Windows 10 S, which is merely a locked-down variant of Windows. The Windows 10 S has failed to gain traction. According to Evan Blass, the dual-screen device will be running a new Windows 10X, which is optimized for dual-screen and foldable smartphones.

The Windows 10X will still be able to run the regular Windows applications in “containers.” It means the 10X could use virtualization to run most of the apps over the Internet rather than running them locally on the hardware. The Windows 10X was previously referred to as Windows Lite. Microsoft has been developing Windows Lite aka Windows 10X as a competitor to Google’s ChromeOS. Both focus on running Internet-based applications and software as a service (SaaS).

It’s unclear what the Surface Centaurus would look like. It could be a tablet-sized foldable device or a clamshell device with two screens. Even if Microsoft unveils Centaurus at the October 2 event, the product might not hit the store shelves until next year, considering the complexity in producing foldable and dual-screen devices at large scale.

Earlier this year, the Redmond-based software giant described the characteristics of a modern OS. Microsoft said a modern OS would deliver seamless updates without any interruptions. It should also protect users from hackers and viruses in all circumstances. A modern OS would deliver blazing-fast performance, would be connected to the cloud, and should support built-in 4G, 5G and WiFi for steady connectivity on the go. Only time will tell whether Microsoft was referring to Windows 10X or other future platforms.

What other products to expect at the event?

Besides Centaurus, Microsoft is expected to show off a slew of new hardware products at the event. We expect it to launch refreshed versions of Surface Book, Surface Laptop, and Surface Pro. Microsoft hasn’t upgraded the Surface Book lineup in almost two years. It is also rumored to update the Surface stylus.

The Surface Pro 7 is said to have a bezel-less display, a redesign keyboard, a USB-C port, and a new kickstand. Microsoft would also announce a new 2-in-1 device called ‘Surface 7’ without the ‘Pro’ moniker, running a Qualcomm ARM processor. The Surface Pro 7 would run Intel chips. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8cx processor, which we recently saw in Samsung’s Galaxy Book S, offers a longer battery life and built-in LTE connectivity.

The Surface Laptop 3 would also benefit from the improved capabilities of new Intel and Nvidia chips. According to recent reports, the Surface Laptop 3 could arrive in two different screen sizes of 13.5-inch and 15-inch. At least one variant of Surface Laptop 3 would run AMD chips.

The next-gen Surface Book 3 could bring major under-the-hood improvements including Intel’s 10th-gen processors that have been praised for their energy efficiency. Intel announced the 10th-gen Comet Lake processors last week. The Surface Book 3 will reportedly use Nvidia’s Turing RTX graphics.

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