The (10)X Factor (Premium)

I spent much of the weekend examining the leaked Windows 10X build, which appears to be a near-final version of Microsoft’s coming Chrome OS competitor. I have some observations, of course. But more to the point, I also have questions. Lots of questions.

I asked these questions, semi-rhetorically, to Windows internals expert Rafael Rivera yesterday, too. He’s not a fan of the word “leak,” for starters, since Microsoft put this build on a publicly facing server that it knows is monitored by enthusiasts. We joked about the term, but the short version is that, semantics and intentions aside, we now have a clearer look at the latest in a long line of Windows offshoots. And it verifies many of the opinions and guesses we’ve made along the way.

First and most important, Windows 10X is very clearly aimed at Google’s Chrome OS, which has seen dominant growth in the education sector, and not just in the U.S., for several years. Defeating Chrome OS and the Chromebooks on which it runs has long been a focus for the Windows team. The last major public push was four years ago, when Terry Myerson introduced Surface Laptop and Windows 10 S alongside other education-related initiatives at a May event in New York City. But there have been annual momentum updates as well, usually tied to BETT, an education-focused trade show that is usually held each January in London.

Where Windows 10 S was a relatively simple approach to solving the Chrome OS problem---it is basically just Windows 10 modified to use policy to prevent users from running Win32 desktop applications---Windows 10X is a more complete reimagining of Windows into a new platform that is lighter, simpler, and less capable. It’s also a lot more like Chrome OS as a result.

And that’s true at every level. Chrome OS is basically just a very lightweight version of Linux running the Chrome web browser, and more recently it has picked up the ability to run both Android and Linux apps too. Windows 10X is basically just a very lightweight version of Windows 10 running the Edge web browser, and it can also run what I’ll call “pure” Microsoft Store apps.

The similarities extend to the respective look and feel and user experiences as well. When Chrome OS first debuted almost 10 years ago---and yes, it’s really been a decade already---it was very much modeled on the Windows 7 desktop user experience. That made sense then, but to Google’s credit, Chrome OS has since evolved into its own thing. It still has a desktop and taskbar, of sorts, and a Start-like experience for finding and launching apps. And there’s a system tray/Action Center-like interface. But just as macOS shares some commonality to Windows and vice versa, so too does Chrome OS, and each has its own peculiarities and unique touches.

With Windows 10X, Microsoft has indeed started its photocopiers, but this time it’s focused them on Google, not Apple. Windows 10X features a taskbar, Start experience, an...