Windows 10 to get a new design language, codenamed Project NEON

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project neon

Microsoft is striving to ameliorate their Windows 10 and so far it is the best operating system the software giant has introduced yet. There is the Cortana digital personal assistant, Universal Windows Platform for apps that run on desktops, notebooks, 2-in-1s, and phones, Continuum, and the operating system’s significantly improved security. The only lack in the operating system is the user interface the company somehow failed to perfect.

In response, the company has made several adjustments to its design language over the past few years. It all started with Windows 8 and evolved into what we now discern as “Microsoft Design Language 2” or MDL2 in Windows 10. Project NEON addresses the same attribute just with a different perspective.

Introduced with Windows 7, Metro used to be the defining design of the Windows Phone OS with strict principles and guidelines. The now universally adopted design, adopted in several mobile platforms including iOS and Android, feature a flat, chrome-less plan centered on simplicity.

So what actually is Project NEON?

With the numerous new features Redstone 3 update is expected to bring , Microsoft is adding yet another one. This time, it is a project codenamed NEON, a design language anticipated to bring Windows 10’s UI a more streamlined facelift. Microsoft is aiming to introduce a design language which just works across all devices and offers a similar experience as Windows 10. This includes the PC, Mobile, and more importantly, HoloLens.

Most importantly, Project NEON is designed to straighten out all the inconsistencies that can appear throughout Windows 10. NEON is also believed to leverage effects including textures, 3D models, and lighting, amongst others. So summing up, NEON would preserve the relatively simple essence of the Windows 10 UI, all the while making it more attractive to look at.

Up until now, various sources have suggested the release of Project NEON in late 2017 and that it has been in development for over a year. Of course, Insider users will get it sooner as Creator updates usually are rolled out around March. So, we’ll see Redstone 3 Previews with real changes a few months later.

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