Microsoft may market upcoming Windows 10X as “The New Windows”

Windows 10X, Microsoft’s Windows-based Chrome OS alternative, is expected to make its debut on education-focused devices very soon. In a series of tweets yesterday, the reliable Microsoft leaker “WalkingCat” first teased that “The New Windows” was coming next month, though he later backtracked to say that it’s coming, “but maybe not next month.”

Correction: its coming, but maybe not next month, sorry ???? https://t.co/vbEjaJ8if8

— WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_) February 26, 2021

The leaker later put the emphasis on the naming, suggesting that he may have seen “The New Windows” on official marketing materials for Windows 10X. If Windows 10X is definitely a new version of Windows that will be optimized for Chromebook-like devices, it won’t be a replacement for the soon-to-be six years old Windows 10 OS.

Previous reports suggested that the first Windows 10X coming this year will target the education market, with a consumer push to follow next year. At launch, Windows 10X won’t be able to run legacy Win32 apps natively, though support is expected to come at a later date. However, that shouldn’t be an issue for the education market where Chromebooks have been enjoying real momentum in recent years, especially in the US.

Microsoft’s main goal with Windows 10X is to create a lightweight version of Windows that is easy to manage for IT admins, and works great with Microsoft Store apps and web apps. The OS was initially announced for dual-screen devices like Microsoft’s Surface Neo, but Microsoft later changed its plans to optimize the OS for single-screen devices. The company will hopefully share more details about Windows 10X in the coming weeks as we get closer to the release of Windows 10 version 21H1.