Welcome to the ninth episode of Ask Windows Central, a show where we answer our community's most asked questions around Microsoft, Windows, Surface, Xbox, and the general tech industry. In today's episode, we answer questions about WCOS and Surface Neo, the M1 Pro and Max, and the Insider Beta Channel.

This week's episode features the following questions:

• Do you think (us) Windows users should have an inferiority complex in the context of M1 Macs?
• Whatever happened to Windows Core OS? Did the project get cancelled, or was it rolled into Windows 11?
• Will the Surface Neo ever be released?
• What is the actual purpose of the Beta Insider ring?

If you have a question you'd like us to answer on the show, be sure to submit them in the comments below, or email daniel@windowscentral.com with "Ask Windows Central" in the subject line! You can also join the Windows Central Discord and ask questions in the dedicated #ask-wc channel.

If you're on Twitter, you can tweet your question with the #AskWindowsCentral tag included, and make sure you tag either @daniel_rubino or @zacbowden so we can see it.

If you have any feedback about the show format, please let us know. We're building this show around you, so if there's something you don't like or think we should change, we're all ears. We hope you enjoy the episode, and look forward to getting back to your questions in the next one.

Windows 10X was a new version of Windows that has been built from the ground up for new PCs, and was supposed to begin shipping on hardware in 2021. It's built on top of a new modern version of Windows called 'Windows Core OS' that guts legacy components and features in favor of contemporary user experiences and enhanced security.

Unfortunately, Microsoft has announced that development on Windows 10X has been postponed and will not be launching on new PCs this year. In fact, it's unlikely Windows 10X will ever launch now that Microsoft is working on a big new user experience refresh for Windows Desktop codenamed Sun Valley and expected to launch at the tail-end of this year.

Either way, this article remains as a look-back at some of the new experiences and changes Microsoft had pioneered with Windows 10X.

A new user experience

Windows 10X featured a new shell — the user interface — that was built with modern technologies. It's an adaptive user experience that can adjust depending on the "posture" of your device. For example, with a foldable PC, the user might want to use it in several different ways; as a laptop, or tablet, or in tent mode for movies. Because of this, the user interface must adapt to provide the best experience no matter which way your device is being used.

This also means that legacy shell elements, such as the Control Panel, File Explorer, and error dialogs and icons are gone on Windows 10X. As Microsoft has rebuilt the entire shell, it doesn't include any of the legacy things that makes Windows 10 so inconsistent when it comes to UI. The Windows Shell on Windows 10X should be much more consistent.

A new Start menu

Microsoft had redesigned the Start menu experience on Windows 10X with a focus on productivity. It features a system-wide search bar along the top that can also search the web, and a grid of installed apps below that in place of live tiles.

It also has a "recent activities" area that dynamically updates with things the user might want to jump straight into, such as recent Office documents and visited websites. The apps list can be customized, with the ability for users to rearrange which apps show up in the first few rows.

A new Taskbar

Windows 10X also had a new adaptive Taskbar that features a centered design. The Start and Task View buttons appear in the center, with running and pinned apps appearing between the two. When you open an app, the Start and Task View buttons gently spread apart, giving the Taskbar a much more fluid appearance.

There are some new animations; the Start and Task View buttons have their own animations when clicked on, and there's a subtle bounce to app icons when you minimize running apps to the Taskbar. In addition to the new design, there's also up to three different Taskbar sizes: Small, medium and large. Large is great for tablets, while medium and small mimic the usual sizes we already have today on Windows 10.

On tablets, users can now swipe up anywhere on the Taskbar to access the Start menu, making it easier for touch users to access their apps list. You no longer have to hit the specific Start button to access your Start menu.

A new Action Center

In addition to the new Start and Taskbar experiences, there was also a new Action Center to compliment them. This new Action Center puts more emphasis on quick actions, with the ability to jump into specific quick actions for further control without leaving the Action Center at all.

It's also designed in such a way that mimics a control center, with notifications housed above it in a separate box. This new Action Center includes things like volume controls, power options, and battery percentage. There's also a new music control UI that appears in the Action Center when music is playing from a supported app.

A new set up experience

Since every part of Windows 10X has been redesigned, the out of box experience has too been updated with a modern look and feel. It still walks you through the Windows setup process, selecting your language, signing-in with a Microsoft Account, and agreeing to terms and conditions, but Cortana is no longer present throughout the set up process. It's a more traditional setup experience, that's been beautified on 10X.

The new File Explorer

Since Windows 10X has a modern core, legacy components such as the classic File Explorer are no longer present. This means Microsoft has built a new File Explorer specific to Windows 10X, and it's built around OneDrive. Windows 10X is a web-first OS, and that includes how you store and manage files on your Windows 10X PC. By default, all your files are synced with your OneDrive account in the cloud while also being available locally on the device.

Improved Windows Update

Microsoft is also improving Windows Update in a way that makes it much faster on Windows 10X. Feature updates will not take as long to install as they do on Windows 10 as those feature updates are now installed in the background without requiring a reboot until the update is done. So, just like on Android and Chrome OS, when the update is ready to restart your PC, it'll just restart like normal, and won't take 15 minutes to finish installing before you're back up and running.

This should result in updates that take less than 90 seconds to reboot. Internal testing suggests it's even faster than that. This is a huge improvement over how Windows 10 does updates today, which can take anywhere between 5 minutes and 20 minutes to reboot, depending on the device.

Secure by default

Unlike Windows 10, Windows 10X featured something called "state separation" which is how the OS lays itself out on a drive. Windows 10 today installs everything into a single partition, which means the user can access system files, as can apps and potential attackers. On Windows 10X, everything goes into its own read-only partition. So OS files are locked away, as are app files, as are drivers, and the registry. The only thing the user and applications can access are the user partition.

This means that malware or viruses can't get in and affect the system, because those programs are only able to operate in a single partition, and that assumes they're able to get outside of the app container system Microsoft has built. All apps on Windows 10X run in a container, and need explicit permissions to access things that are outside that container. This is already how UWP apps work on Windows 10, and Microsoft will be extending that to Win32 apps on Windows 10X when support for Win32 apps arrives.

Coming never?

Microsoft announced earlier this year that Windows 10X had been postponed beyond 2021, and that it was instead prioritizing bringing the best of Windows 10X over to the full version of Windows. This means that Windows 10X will likely never ship, but that a lot of the Windows 10X UX will ship as part of the Sun Valley project instead.

What you need to know

• An old build of Windows Core OS has leaked.
• The leak is of a barebones Polaris SKU.
• The build is for ARM32-based PCs only.

An early build of Polaris, a canceled SKU of Windows Core OS, has leaked online. The build is from early 2018, and includes nothing but the bare core OS, meaning there's no composer (shell) or apps present. Windows Core OS is a modern version of Windows that powers HoloLens 2 and the upcoming Windows 10X, and has been in the works for many years.

We've covered Windows Core OS extensively in the past, but for those out of the loop, the Windows Core OS project aims to create a modular, universal Windows OS that guts legacy features and components in favor of contemporary user experiences. As a result, the OS is more secure and performant on low-end hardware, with better battery life and faster OS updates.

Because Windows Core OS has been in the works for so long, the project has gone through many different phases internally. Originally, Windows Core OS was going to power the Surface Duo with the Andromeda SKU, as well as laptops and tablets with the Polaris SKU. Polaris was essentially Windows Core OS built specifically for PCs.

Polaris was canceled right around the time Andromeda was canceled, as both SKUs were superseded by Windows 10X (codenamed Santorini). Polaris was going to replace Windows 10 S when ready as a true modern and lightweight version of Windows 10, featuring containerized Win32 programs but with the familiar Windows 10 desktop UX.

The build that has leaked is the RS3 RTM build, but as mentioned above, the actual leak includes very little for tinkerers to mess around with. It has no composer, meaning there's no GUI, and there doesn't appear to be any in-box apps either. This leak serves two purposes: confirms the existence of Polaris for those who doubted it, and allows enthusiasts to tinker with an old build of Windows Core OS.

Interestingly, the leak is also in the ARM32 architecture, meaning it can only boot on older ARM32-based PCs like the Surface RT. Once again, Polaris is a canceled edition of Windows Core OS and will never ship, so don't expect to see this on PCs in the future. Windows 10X is the future of Windows Core OS on PCs, and should begin shipping on devices later this spring.

Windows Central does not endorse or recommend downloading leaked builds of Windows. Do so at your own risk.

What you need to know

• A refreshed Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are on the way.
• Surface Duo is expected to launch in more markets soon.
• Windows 10 21H1 and Windows 10X will launch in the spring.

Microsoft is planning to ship new Surface hardware in the first half of 2021 in the form of an updated Surface Pro and Surface Laptop with new processors and more RAM options. According to my sources, these new devices will feature the same external designs as their previous generation counterparts, with no major design changes expected.

The new Surface Pro '8' is expected to launch in January and feature Intel's new 11th Gen processors, up to 32GB RAM, and more powerful Iris Xe integrated graphics for a significant boost in GPU performance. I'm also told that Microsoft will offer the new Surface Pro with LTE in addition to Wi-Fi only models.

The new Surface Laptop '4' will launch a few months later and feature Intel 11th Gen processors and up to 32GB RAM just like the Surface Pro, as well as newer AMD Ryzen 5 and Ryzen 7 "Surface Edition" chips in the 15-inch model. I'm told that Microsoft will also offer AMD chips in the 13.5-inch Surface Laptop for the first time as well.

Microsoft is also planning to launch the Surface Duo in a handful of more markets in February. I'm told the list of additional markets is small, so don't expect a global rollout of the product. Microsoft is taking a measured and phased approach to Surface Duo availability, as it understandably doesn't want to risk making too many and selling too few.

So that's all the hardware that I'm hearing will make an appearance in the first half of 2021. I'm not expecting to see a new Surface Studio, even though that product line is well overdue a refresh at this point. I've also not heard any whispers about a dedicated Windows 10X device from Microsoft, even though Windows 10X is expected to launch in the spring.

I have a few theories, but I think the reason for this is because the Windows 10X launch in the spring is going to be a low-key event. Without Win32 support, the platform has significantly less appeal to mainstream markets, so a dedicated Surface PC with Windows 10X installed in the spring doesn't make much sense.

Microsoft would likely rather wait until Win32 support is ready, which I'm told will happen in the 2022 timeframe. The version of Windows 10X launching in the spring will be aimed at commercial customers in the enterprise and education sectors, and feature primarily on sub-$600 laptop PCs. It's not going to be something that's actively marketed to mainstream users at first.

I'm told Microsoft is hoping to sign-off on a final build of Windows 10X in the next few days and will begin servicing the OS with bug fixes and security updates on the leadup to launch. OEMs will soon receive the final bits to begin preloading onto hardware in time for the spring.

Microsoft is also planning a minor 21H1 release of Windows 10 desktop for launch in the spring that will include small changes and under the hood improvements. This won't be a full-blown feature update like past spring releases have been, as Microsoft is preparing a major OS update in the fall 2021 season codenamed Sun Valley instead.

Windows Insiders should begin seeing some of the significant Sun Valley specific features and changes in preview builds in early 2021, with the "cobalt" release, known as 21H2, wrapping up development in June. This means that before the second half of next year begins, we should have a good idea of what these big Sun Valley updates are going to look like.

In the meantime, what are you looking forward to from Microsoft in 2021? Let us know in the comments.

Here at Windows Central, we've been following Microsoft's Surface Duo project for quite some time. We first wrote about Microsoft's dual-screen pocket PC efforts under the codename Andromeda in 2017, and I had started hearing about the project a considerable time before then. It was initially going to be a Windows device, and kickstart Microsoft's mobile efforts with a brand new, modern version of Windows explicitly built for this new form factor.

Of course, this never happened. The Surface Duo we have today is an Android device, and Microsoft says that it went with Android because it's the right choice for the form factor. While true, it's certainly not what Microsoft had intended to do in the beginning. It came to this conclusion only after trying and failing to bring to life a new, ambitious version of Windows designed for a dual-screen pocket PC.

I'm frequently asked about what this era of Surface Duo's development was like. So, here's what I know, based on conversations with people who worked on the project and photos and video I've seen of the software and hardware over the last four years.

Pre-Andromeda

Microsoft has been kicking around the idea of a dual-screen device since as early as 2009, with the now infamous Microsoft Courier. Of course, the Courier never saw the light of day as it didn't align with Microsoft's Windows strategy at the time, but as we now know, the Courier was just the start. Microsoft would continue to research and prototype dual-screen devices for years to come.

Although not directly related, those working on what ultimately became the Surface Duo took plenty of inspiration from the research and development that was put into the Courier. Microsoft began working on what I'd consider to be what eventually became the Surface Duo in the late 2014 or early 2015 timeframe, a few years after the Courier project was put to rest.

Around this time, Microsoft had started conceptualizing the idea of a (possibly Intel powered) dual-screen pocketable Surface running what would eventually become Windows 10. In these early internal concepts, Microsoft showcased an adaptable UI that would switch between mobile and desktop experiences when moving between single-screen, dual-screen, and a large external display.

The dummy prototype hardware featured a more traditional smartphone shape housed in a thin metal chassis with pen support, and I'm told they called this early prototype idea the "Surface Pocket." It appears the powers that be at Microsoft liked the idea, and work began on what would eventually become the Surface Duo soon after.

A lot would change between those early concept ideas and the final product. Everything from the shape, size, processor, market positioning, and the operating system would be different by the time the product was publicly announced in October 2019. Today, I want to detail that journey and talk about what this device would be like had it shipped with Windows back in 2018.

Project Andromeda

Work on Microsoft's dual-screen phone started picking up steam in early 2016, under the codename Andromeda. Microsoft started development on the Andromeda project with the mindset that it was going to be a Windows device. It was decided early on that Andromeda was not going to be powered by an Intel processor, opting for an ARM chip instead.

It became apparent rather quickly that Microsoft needed to build a new, modern version of Windows to fully realize its vision for this device. The existing version of Windows 10 was and is not optimized for pocketable devices, and Windows 10 Mobile wasn't adaptable enough or where Microsoft needed it to be for a dual-screen form factor.

Microsoft wanted the best of both worlds, a lightweight and legacy-free OS experience found on Windows 10 Mobile, paired with the versatility and feature-rich nature of Windows 10 desktop, something especially important for Microsoft's Continuum plans on Andromeda. A version of Windows like this didn't exist at the time, so Microsoft needed to build it.

WCOS + CShell

Microsoft began work on what would eventually become Windows Core OS (WCOS,) a modern and legacy-free Windows foundation that is modular and easily adaptable to new and existing device form factors. WCOS originally started as something specific to Andromeda but quickly grew into something much more extensive and is now what also powers HoloLens 2 and Windows 10X today. Andromeda's version of WCOS was fittingly codenamed "AndromedaOS."

Andromeda was going to be Microsoft's first device to ship with a version of Windows built on WCOS and showcase to the world the future of Windows for both developers and customers. WCOS was and still is significant to Microsoft, as it's essentially a better version of Windows 10. It's more modern, secure, and lightweight, with better battery life and faster OS updates.

In addition to the modern core, Microsoft also needed an adaptable UI that would work in conjunction with Andromeda's many postures. It couldn't use the existing Windows Shell from Windows 10 desktop or Windows 10 Mobile, because those shells are not adaptable and are dependent on legacy components that are no longer part of WCOS.

So, Microsoft began work on a Composable Shell (CShell) that would allow WCOS to feature modern Windows Shell experiences that could adapt and be shared across different WCOS variants. This would be vital for a device like Andromeda, which could swiftly go from a single-screen phone to a dual-screen tablet and dock to a larger display for a desktop experience too.

Andromeda was pioneering two massive software efforts at Microsoft with WCOS and CShell, with the hope that work put into this project could later be reused on different products thanks to the modular and adaptive nature of both. This was a huge effort internally, and people at Microsoft were excited about Andromeda, and the future of Windows it was pioneering.

However, it became clear rather quickly that this project would take a while, and not be without issue. It turns out that modernizing and modularizing the Windows core and shell experiences isn't an easy task, and the project would soon fall behind schedule. WCOS itself wouldn't be ready for self hosters and engineers to actively test on until sometime in 2017.

It was around this same time that Microsoft decided to pull the plug on Windows 10 Mobile. The company didn't want to build stereotypical smartphones anymore, and Satya Nadella was quoted saying that its future phones would not look like normal phones, referring to Project Andromeda.

Interestingly, because WCOS wasn't entirely ready for selfhosters until mid-2017, early CShell work was carried out on top of Windows 10 Mobile. Microsoft had originally planned to ship CShell on Windows 10 Mobile under the codename Pheonix, but that plan very quickly went away once the company decided to wind down its existing phone efforts in early 2017.

The Journal Experience

Full disclosure, screenshots in this article are recreations of real code that I've seen in photos and videos. I'm unable to post the actual material to protect sources, so I've faithfully recreated them pixel for pixel.

Throughout 2017, the user experience and feature set that Microsoft was building for Andromeda came into focus. When I first saw photos of Andromeda running its version of WCOS, I was shocked and excited to see that it was not like any version of Windows before it. It was a sort of hybrid between Windows Phone, Windows Desktop, and the Courier.

AndromedaOS featured a user experience built around a journal app, codenamed Jamdani. This app mimicked a real journal, with virtual pages that could be turned and was designed primarily for pen input. You could attach virtual sticky notes, images, and files, and annotate on them. What's interesting is that this journal experience was the home screen.

Instead of being taken to a traditional app launcher with a custom wallpaper and app list, the home screen was this interactive journal. This is what I mean when I say the project took inspiration from the Courier. Microsoft was really focused on the pen experiences with Andromeda, and that's reaffirmed by the journal experience it was building for the device.

The journal experience would later be replaced with what became the Microsoft Whiteboard app. Many of the experiences between the journal app on Andromeda and Whiteboard app on Windows 10 are much the same, so if you're interested in checking out what this experience was going to be like, download the Whiteboard app.

The Andromeda UX

As far as I'm aware, very few outside of Microsoft have ever seen AndromedaOS. While I'm unable to share real screenshots, I have recreated images that I've seen of old Andromeda prototypes running Windows so that you can have a better idea as to what things looked like. I'll explain the UI as we go.

This first image is of a build of AndromedaOS from around mid-2018. At this point, Microsoft had switched out the journal app for the Whiteboard app, but it functioned very similarly. In the bottom left corner is the Start button, where you'd usually find it on Windows. In the far right is the Cortana button, which also housed the Action Center.

The OS was heavily gesture-based, with a swipe in from the left opening the Start menu, and swipe in from the right opening the Action Center. A swipe down from the top revealed a Control Center for things like Airplane Mode and Bluetooth settings, and a swipe up would reveal Task View or allow the user to drag an app to span it across both screens.

Any app the user would open would sit on top of the journal, meaning the journal was always available to the user by swiping an app away to go home. I'm told Microsoft was working on the way to disable the journal if you prefer a more traditional home experience, but I never saw the option in action.

The Action Center is rather interesting on AndromedaOS. Microsoft had combined both Cortana and the Action Center into one area, with Cortana now being the "manager" of your notifications. Notifications would be sorted into the Action Center, and the Cortana icon would pulsate in the bottom right to alert you when you've missed a notification.

Andromeda Continuum

One of the reasons Microsoft wanted to build a Composable Shell was so that it could bundle multiple shells into one version of Windows for device form factors that could take advantage of it. In addition to AndromedaOS, Microsoft also began work on a version of WCOS for desktop, codenamed Polaris. This was essentially going to replace Windows 10 S.

Polaris featured a more traditional desktop environment, except rebuilt from the ground up using modern code. Microsoft were building a version of WCOS that looked like Windows 10, but with an entirely modern core and no legacy components. It was an exciting prospect, and from memory, I remember the builds featuring fluid animations for things like the Start menu.

Because of the nature of WCOS, Microsoft could recycle the work it was doing with Polaris and use it on AndromedaOS for Continuum. When a user docked Andromeda to a larger display, it would display the Polaris Composer, and the idea was that with Andromeda, you could bring an entire PC with you in your pocket.

Continuum on Andromeda was called Productivity Mode, I believe, and was going to be a fully-featured desktop environment, not like Continuum on Windows 10 Mobile was. Polaris, like AndromedaOS, were both postponed indefinitely around the same time.

The Andromeda Hardware

The Andromeda hardware prototypes are notable because they are somewhat different from the shipping product we know as Surface Duo. Everything from the outer material to the number of cameras changed between 2018 and 2020. There were four engineering variants of the Andromeda hardware, which go back a handful of years.

Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to share photos of the prototypes I've seen for obvious reasons. I can describe the hardware, however, and luckily Microsoft has already given us a brief look at an Andromeda prototype as Panos Panay was spotted using one when briefing Marques Brownlee on YouTube. So I'll be using screengrabs from his video.

It's worth mentioning that not all Andromeda prototypes were equal. Some of the features I mention here are not present on the device showcased in the images in this article. With that in mind, let's start with the outer shell, which was not glass. Unlike Surface Duo, Andromeda used a metal chassis for its outer shell, providing a very different feel in the hand.

The devices themselves were also not white, featuring a darker grey/black appearance. The shapes and sizes between Andromeda and Surface Duo are somewhat similar, which I find to be fascinating. Microsoft has been hell-bent on making this product as thin as possible, and its shape and size design has been deliberate since the early days.

Because Andromeda was metal, the sides of the device needed antenna bands, a design trend found on most smartphones. When Microsoft moved to glass on Surface Duo, it also switched out metal for polycarbonate around the edges, allowing them to rework the antenna system and hide those antenna bands.

Some of the most significant changes between Surface Duo and Andromeda are with the cameras. Earlier Andromeda prototypes had three cameras, two external and one selfie camera on the inside above the left display. This stands in stark contrast to Surface Duo, which has just one camera on the inside above the right display.

I'm told the external cameras on Andromeda were a 12MP main shooter, and a monochrome lens, which, when paired together, enabled unique Mixed Reality experiences that the company was planning to push with this device. A user could scan a 3D object with Andromeda and view it in the real world on a HoloLens 2, for example.

The main shooter featured a prominent camera bump, which caused issues for the form factor. As Andromeda (and Surface Duo) are designed to fold 360-degrees, the existence of a camera bump meant the device couldn't fold all the way. This was a problem when using the device in single-screen mode when taking phone calls, for example, as the product wouldn't sit flush with itself.

To combat this, Microsoft built in a camera "divot" on the opposite side of the external chassis, so that when in single-screen mode, the camera bump didn't affect the form factor. This looked unsightly in the photos I've seen, and I think the Surface design team agreed, which is why we don't have an external camera on the Surface Duo.

It also took up a lot of extra space on the inside of the product, as you now had an area of dead space just so the camera bump wouldn't affect the usability of the device when folded 360-degrees. I guess between the last Andromeda prototypes and the first Surface Duo prototypes, Microsoft decided not to compromise on its external design. A decision I agree with.

The later prototypes featured 6GB RAM and a Snapdragon 845, which was current at the time. Had Andromeda not been delayed, the product would have launched with the latest specs for 2018. Earlier prototypes featured a Snapdragon 835, meaning the Andromeda form factor went through three whole processor generations before finally being released as Surface Duo.

Because of how pen focused Andromeda was, the hardware had dedicated magnets that allowed the Slim Pen to attach to the front. Finally, some prototypes featured what people have called a "Peek Mode" button, located on one side of the device. The button, when pressed, would snap the device open to a certain angle to reveal the lock screen date, time, and missed notifications.

The idea for Peek Mode makes much more sense with this button. However, it's completely missing on the shipping version of Surface Duo. Hopefully, that idea makes a return in the future, as it sounds super cool.

Behind Schedule

So, why did the Andromeda project ultimately get canceled? There's no one specific reason, I'm told. It was a combination of many things; the lack of mobile apps being a primary concern. But, a handful of sources have also mentioned that quality concern was another big player in its cancelation. Builds were buggy, it wasn't meeting deadlines, and people on the project were becoming increasingly frustrated.

The first big milestone that the project missed was crucially related to fighting the app gap problem. Microsoft had originally forecasted plans to unveil Andromeda and WCOS to the world in March 2018, and begin shipping an "Insider Edition" device to developers so they could start building apps for this new form factor.

Had Microsoft stuck to this timeline, the product would have "officially" launched in the fall of 2018, giving developers time to port their apps to UWP and adopt dual-screen scenarios. But when Microsoft failed to deliver this initial developer preview, the future of Andromeda was put in doubt.

Project Andromeda, like most projects internally at Microsoft, went through a weekly review process with the senior leadership team (SLT.) It's in these weekly reviews where those in charge were updated with the progress of features, bug fixes, timelines, and more.

I understand that it was in these SLT meetings that the decision was made to postpone Andromeda indefinitely. Again, sources have pointed to a number of different reasons as to why this decision was made. Several sources have mentioned that the SLT grew tired of the constant issues and delays, and a decision to postpone was somewhat driven by this.

The constant delays were frustrating to the Surface team above all else, who really wanted to ship a Surface phone in this form factor. But at some point in the middle of 2018, the decision was made to postpone the project indefinitely, sealing the fate for AndromedaOS and Windows on phones.

The project was behind schedule and showed no sign of catching up. This, added to the fact that the product had a major app gap problem made the decision to cancel the project the right one. Microsoft did consider emulating Android apps on top of Windows before this, but there was no viable end-user experience that could be built around sideloading Android APKs.

As far as I'm aware, many of the people working Andromeda moved over to Windows 10X, which, thanks to the nature of WCOS, were able to reuse much of the work that was originally put into AndromedaOS. Windows 10X, in many ways, is a spiritual successor to both AndromedaOS and Polaris.

Project Epsilon

While AndromedaOS was no longer happening, the Surface team still had the hardware ready to go, and they still wanted to ship it. At some point in late 2018 or early 2019, the decision was made to turn Andromeda into an Android device. This was kept very quiet, as most people who worked on the Windows version had no idea this decision had been made.

When Microsoft decided to repurpose Andromeda with Android, it also decided to change its codename. This was likely for two reasons. One, to stop people like me from finding new information about its progress, and two, because the "Andromeda" codename was very much tied to Windows. After all, it's what started the whole WCOS thing.

When Microsoft did move to Android, it didn't immediately have a team on hand that could jump in and begin working on the Android OS enhancements and customizations it needed to bring this form factor to life, so it contracted third-party vendors such as Movial to do that initial groundwork. Many of those third-party vendor employees are now full time at Microsoft.

I am told that because Epsilon was based on Andromeda, a Windows product, Microsoft had to port over some Windows drivers to Android, including the touch and pen driver, as well as Microsoft's own UEFI. I remember hearing stories about early Epsilon prototypes having the touch driver crash very frequently, which might be why Panos Panay didn't touch the device on stage in October 2019.

As the Surface team waited for the software to be done, it got to work on readjusting the hardware throughout 2019. It removed the external cameras, swapped out the exterior material from metal to glass, reworked the antenna system, moved the internal camera, and polished things up for the hardware's unveiling in October 2019.

I believe Epsilon went through three engineering verification testing (EVT) stages before entering production. The early units didn't have a front-facing flash, at least not to the naked eye. Either way, the Surface Duo, while missing some of the features and ideas Microsoft were experimenting with on Andromeda, is a clean, concise, and deliberate hardware design.

A long journey

Surface Duo, in my opinion, has the most interesting and dramatic development journey of any Surface product to date. It's a device Panos himself has wanted to build for a long time, but it was constantly held back because of unfinished software. Microsoft tried hard to deliver a version of Windows for Surface Duo, but it failed.

For now, Windows for pocket-sized devices is dead, and I'm not aware of any plans internally to revive that idea in the future. There's no plan to bring Windows 10X to Surface Duo, and the company is now all-in on bringing Android to life on Surface Duo and future versions of the hardware.

To the dismay of Windows fans everywhere, the decision to move to Android on Surface Duo was the right one. Had Microsoft shipped it with Windows, the app gap would have killed it anyway. At least with Android, there's no immediate software concern that kills the product outright. Surface Duo 2 is in the works, and Microsoft has some big plans for Android.

So, that's Andromeda. It's been a long ride, for Microsoft and for fans. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Updated September 18, 2020: Clarified that initial CShell work on Windows 10 Mobile may have been intended to ship at some point, but never did once Microsoft decided to kill off Windows Phone in early 2017.

Microsoft Surface Duo

Main

• Surface Duo review
• Best Surface Duo accessories 2020
• Best Surface Duo cases 2020
• Best Surface Duo pens 2020
• List of Surface Duo specs
• Save up to $700 on Surface Duo

Microsoft's Chief Product Officer, Panos Panay, has today published a new blog post that details his thinking behind the future of Windows, and how Microsoft can innovate with Windows 10X going forward. Panay was recently put in charge of the Windows client in addition to his hardware responsibilities, allowing him greater control over both the hardware and software that Microsoft ships.

In the blog post, Panay details how Microsoft is shifting from launching Windows 10X as an operating system exclusive to foldable PCs to something that will launch on traditional form factors such as laptops and 2-in-1's. This is a result of wanting to meet customers where they are.

Microsoft is also promising innovation with Windows to ensure it's the best OS for working, learning, and playing. Over the next two holidays, Microsoft says it's going to accelerate innovation in Windows 10. No further details as to what this entails were given.

Thinking about the new Windows + Devices team under Panos Panay

Launching Windows 10X on traditional form factors is going to give more people access to Windows 10X sooner. Those who weren't particularly sold on the idea of foldable PCs will now have the chance to use Windows 10X on a device form factor that's more familiar to them.

No details as to when we can expect Windows 10X to launch were provided. Rumors suggest it has been delayed into next year.

What you need to know

• Microsoft says it "may or may not" ship a Surface Hub 2X in the future.
• It's focused on delivering the 85-inch Surface Hub 2S in 2020.
• A major OS update is coming soon to the Surface Hub V1 and Surface Hub 2S.

Microsoft has finally addressed the whereabouts of it's mythical Surface Hub 2X device, which was announced in 2018 as coming in 2020 with a new OS that enabled unique features such as tiling, dynamic rotation, and more. In a webinar aimed at customers and resellers, Microsoft says that focus has shifted over to delivering the 85-inch Surface Hub 2S, and that it doesn't anticipate releasing a Surface Hub 2X this year.

Initially, Microsoft was planning to ship the Surface Hub 2X with a new OS called Windows Core, a modular platform that both HoloLens 2 and Surface Neo are based upon. Unfortunately, it appears those plans have been shelved for now. Some of the unique features touted as part of the 2X will now be coming to the 2S in the form of a software update, which will be based on the existing Windows 10 Team SKU instead.

The whole reason why Microsoft split the Surface Hub 2 into two SKUs to begin with was because Windows Core OS wasn't something that Microsoft could deliver as an over the air update, as it's vastly different from Windows 10 Team. Now that Windows Core OS isn't coming to Surface Hub anytime soon, the need for a Surface Hub 2X is no longer necessary.

Today, both Surface Hub V1 and Surface Hub 2S are running Windows 10 Team version 1703, which was released almost three years ago. Now that Windows Core OS isn't coming anytime soon, Microsoft will update Windows 10 Team to version 2004 for both Surface Hub 1 and 2S, and introduce features such as tiling and rotation. This is actually great news for existing Surface Hub customers.

But what does this mean for the future of Windows Core OS on the Surface Hub?

Is Windows Core OS for Hub dead?

The answer isn't entirely clear. Microsoft itself is unsure if it'll ship a Surface Hub 2X in the future, stating that it "may or may not" do so at some point down the line. It does appear to be leaving the door open, but it's clear that there are no immediate plans to move Surface Hub over to the modern Windows Core OS platform, and is instead focused on updating Windows 10 Team with new features and improvements.

The question now is: why has Microsoft halted plans to ship Windows Core OS on the Surface Hub 2? I don't have a concrete answer, however, I was told back in December that Microsoft had deprecated the version of Windows Core OS that it was working on for Surface Hub 2X, but that we could still see a Surface Hub 2X ship with a variant of Windows 10X (which is also based on Windows Core OS) in the future. I don't know if that's still the case.

If I had to guess, Microsoft just doesn't deem it necessary to move the Surface Hub to Windows Core OS at this time. Windows Core OS is a lightweight platform that shines on mobile devices like Surface Neo and HoloLens 2. While there are benefits to running Windows Core OS on any kind of device, it's likely none of those reasons are super important for Microsoft to prioritize shipping it on a device like the Surface Hub 2.

It's also possible that development on Windows Core OS is behind, but that doesn't explain the deprecation of the variant of Windows Core OS that Microsoft was building for Surface Hub 2. I'll be interested to see if down the line, we end up seeing a Surface Hub running a variant of Windows 10X. Microsoft may even want to wait until the Surface Hub 3 before it attempts to bring Surface Hub into the Windows Core OS family.

Microsoft tells us that it will have more to share regarding Surface Hub in the coming months. In the meantime, are you a Surface Hub customer? What are your thoughts on this change of plan? Let us know in the comments.

Microsoft hasn't said much about the Surface Hub 2X, a product initially announced in May 2018 to much fanfare, since the announcement of the Surface Hub 2S in April earlier this year. Initially announced as a single product, the Surface Hub 2 was supposed to launch in 2019 with a brand new version of Windows 10 built on Windows Core OS, and ship with modern features and capabilities such as tiling, dynamic rotation, faster Windows Updates, and much more.

But later in 2018, Microsoft announced that this version of the Surface Hub 2 would now be coming in 2020 and that it was splitting the Surface Hub 2 into two product SKUs known as the Hub 2S and Hub 2X. The Surface Hub 2S has since launched and is a "lesser" version of the Surface Hub 2X without dynamic rotation, tiling, or any other OS enhancements enabled by Windows Core OS. This is because the Hub 2S ships with the same OS that the original Surface Hub is running today.

Microsoft's official reasoning for doing this is that customers wanted a version of the Surface Hub 2 running the old OS. While that may be true, the real reason this happened is because the OS being built for the Surface Hub 2X wasn't going to be ready in time for a 2019 launch. Codenamed Aruba, this is Microsoft's unique expression of Windows Core OS for collaborative displays like the Surface Hub 2.

I was fully expecting to hear more about the Surface Hub 2X at Ignite 2019, but there was nothing but radio silence on the subject. I mention this because at Ignite 2018, Microsoft gave us the chance to go hands-on with the Surface Hub 2X and its version of Windows Core OS, but that's the only time anyone outside of Microsoft was able to play with it. In every Surface Hub 2 related event since, the Hub 2X has not been present.

A change in OS experience

So, what exactly is going on here? Has Microsoft silently killed off the Surface Hub 2X? I've asked multiple contacts to see if I could get some insider knowledge on the whereabouts of the Surface Hub 2X, and here's what I found. According to sources, Microsoft has killed off the version of Windows Core OS it was building specifically for the Surface Hub 2. Aruba now joins Andromeda OS and Polaris as another deprecated version of Windows Core OS.

This is interesting, as what makes the Surface Hub 2X the X is the software additions enabled by Aruba and Windows Core OS. So what does this mean for the Surface Hub 2X? I'm told that the Surface Hub 2X itself hasn't been canceled, and will still be launching at some point in the future. But now, instead of launching with Aruba, the Surface Hub 2X will ship with Windows 10X instead. Windows 10X is another variant of Windows Core OS, codenamed Santorini.

Now, I don't know if Microsoft will actually call it Windows 10X on the Surface Hub 2X, but it is using the Santorini shell experience. Microsoft, for some reason, is hell-bent on selling Windows 10X as a version of Windows 10 for dual-screen devices only. This isn't true, of course, as Santorini was built from the ground up for traditional form-factors too, whether they be laptops or large displays. So Microsoft may decide to call it something else, who knows.

Either way, I'm hearing the Surface Hub 2X will be launching with Santorini instead of Aruba now. I don't know what this means for any of the unique Surface Hub 2X features that were announced back in 2018. I suspect those features will remain intact, as Santorini is still Windows Core OS under the hood. It's also worth noting that Aruba and Santorini were pretty similar to begin with.

I have a feeling we'll hear more about the Surface Hub 2X and Microsoft's plans in this area in early 2020. I don't know if Microsoft will go on record as acknowledging the fact that the OS has changed, as I don't think they need to. But I do wonder if this OS change means the Surface Hub 2X will be delayed slightly. In theory, this won't be necessary as Windows 10X itself is expected to be finalized in June 2020. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Let's hear from you

What are your thoughts on this change for the Surface Hub 2X? Let us know in the comments.

Trying to keep up with Microsoft's internal Windows Core OS (WCOS) project is no easy task. Even we find it challenging to keep up with all the different codenames, plans, and changes being made to Windows with Windows Core OS. So, to try and keep things in line, we've compiled this ultimate guide for Windows Core OS, CShell, and everything in between.

Windows Core OS is something we've been writing about since early 2017 and has been in the works for much longer. It's the future of Windows, which takes the shared code of OneCore and builds a modern, legacy-free OS on top of it. Windows Core OS, along with CShell, allows Microsoft to create new versions of Windows 10 quickly, and share standard components and features across different device types and WCOS versions quickly and easily.

Let's get into the nitty-gritty details.

Building a future OS today

What is Windows Core OS?

To answer this question, we first have to explain what Windows Core OS isn't. Today, Windows 10 is several different operating systems across the many devices types it can run on. There's Windows 10 for desktops, Windows 10 for HoloLens, Windows 10 for IoT devices, Windows 10 for Surface Hub, Windows 10 for Xbox, and there was also a Windows 10 for phones. Although these are all Windows 10, they're all technically different operating systems that don't run very well on devices for which they are not designed. Windows 10 desktop, for example, would be a terrible experience on a phone, and vice versa.

All of these versions of Windows 10 do share universal elements, however, such as OneCore and OneCoreUAP which are layers of the operating system that you can find on all of these versions of Windows 10 that enable things like the Universal Windows Platform. But the rest of everything included in these operating systems are specific to that version of Windows. Not everything is interchangeable or shareable between them, as most of these features have to be rewritten each time by the teams working on these individual versions of the OS for them to function.

A great example of this is with the Start menu and Action Center on Windows 10 for desktop and Windows 10 Mobile. While Microsoft tried very hard to make these experiences seem the same, underneath, they were very different. Keen-eyed users would have likely noticed differences in features between the two Start experiences, and that's because for one feature to be available on both platforms, it needed to be built twice, not just once. Live tile folders are a perfect example of this, a feature that was first found on Mobile took over a year to appear on the desktop.

As it stands today, there's a lot of extra work and overhead that Microsoft needs to deal with every time it wants to build a version of Windows 10 for a new device type, such as foldables. Windows 10 as it exists on its own wouldn't be a good fit for foldable PCs. Microsoft could start building yet another version of Windows 10 for this category of devices, but then they'd have to rebuild many of the existing features you can find on other versions of Windows 10 already to ensure those features behave and operate correctly on this form factor. It's a waste of resources and effort.

That's where Windows Core OS comes in. With Windows Core OS, Microsoft is building a universal base for Windows that can be used across all these different devices. Instead of having to develop a new version of Windows 10 for every new device type that comes along, Microsoft can simply use Windows Core OS to start. They would then pull in features and functions it has already built for it, and create it as an OS for that device type. All that would be created with less overhead and fewer resources used.

Windows Core OS strips Windows down to the bare minimum. It doesn't include any legacy components or features, and sticks to UWP as a core for the operating system as it's lighter and already universal. From there, Microsoft can build out Windows Core OS with different components and features that it can then apply to devices where necessary. But this time, those components and features can be shared across the many different devices Windows Core OS will run on.

It's essentially a modular platform. Any feature or function Microsoft builds for it can then be applied to any Windows Core OS device that it wants. For example, let's imagine Microsoft builds out Win32 support as a component for Windows Core OS for desktop and laptop devices. Since that work has now already been done, Microsoft can also bring that Win32 component to HoloLens 2 or Surface Hub 2X running Windows Core OS, enabling that functionality on those experiences too.

The big selling point for Windows Core OS for Microsoft is that for the people working on Windows, it takes way less time and resources to build new Windows experiences when it's required. If Microsoft or any of its partners want to develop new device form factors running Windows, they no longer have to wait years for Microsoft to build up a version of Windows 10 that works for it. Using Windows Core OS, they can create new Windows experiences in a fraction of the time and way more efficiently.

Explaining composable

What is CShell for Windows?

The shared component idea extends to the UI as well, thanks to a universal shell Microsoft has been building called Composable Shell, also known as CShell for short. CShell is the other half of this universal idea for Windows Core OS, and allows Microsoft to build shell experiences that can be shared across devices, and even bundled up together where it makes sense. For example, any shell-facing feature like an Action Center, Start menu, or taskbar, can then be used across all CShell-powered devices without having to rewrite them to fit on different devices every single time.

Let's imagine Microsoft decides to finally build a Surface Phone running Windows Core OS. It'll feature a mobile experience primarily, but if you connected it to a Continuum dock, Microsoft could also bundle the actual desktop experience it built with CShell. So instead of getting a fake desktop experience as you did with Windows 10 Mobile, you'd boot into the real desktop experience Microsoft made for CShell, which runs on actual desktops. That's pretty cool.

Unfortunately, Microsoft seems just about done with trying to build phones that run Windows, so insteaad, we can apply this idea to something a little more plausible. Tablets! Microsoft can build out dedicated desktop and tablet mode experiences with CShell, and apply them to 2-in-1 devices like the Surface Pro. So whenever the user enters tablet mode, instead of getting a mediocre experience, it can boot into a dedicated tablet mode that Microsoft built for CShell. On some devices, maybe tablet mode is the only experience available, and on others, there's more than one.

Or imagine a gaming PC, which, when being used with a mouse and keyboard, uses an actual regular desktop interface with a taskbar and Start menu. When an Xbox controller is connected, however, it boots into a "Game Mode" that enables the same Xbox shell you can find on Xbox consoles, except it's all running on your PC and has all your PC games ready to go. That would be pretty cool. These ideas are all very possible with CShell and Windows Core OS.

There's more than one experience

The different flavors of Windows Core OS

Now we know all about Windows Core OS and what it is — let's take a look at all the different configurations of Windows Core OS we know about so far. Officially, there are two devices that Microsoft is shipping with Windows Core OS: HoloLens 2 and Surface Neo.

There are a whole bunch of different codenames and words used to describe the different versions of WCOS. So we've tried to include all the names Microsoft uses for these editions of Windows Core OS.

Windows 10X

Windows Core OS for laptops and foldable PCs

• Official Name: Windows 10X
• Codename: Santorini
• WCOS Edition: ModernPC

Windows 10X is a flavor of Windows Core OS that appears to be for both foldable PCs and traditional laptops and tablets.

Microsoft is building out Windows 10X as the version of Windows Core OS that runs on consumer and commercial foldable PCs, laptops, and 2-in-1 tablets. It's a new take on what Windows can be, introducing a brand new user experience that's a little more like Chrome OS and less like old-school Windows. It has deep ties with web experiences and puts universal Windows apps front and center, and will eventually be able to run traditional desktop apps from outside the Microsoft Store too.

Windows 10X features a centered taskbar experience, and can adapt depending on the posture of the device it's running on. There's a simple app launcher that doesn't feature live tiles, which lists your installed apps from the Microsoft Store or pinned websites.

Foldable PCs are coming

Centaurus and Pegasus

Regarding those sub-codenames, Centaurus is the codename Microsoft uses for Windows 10X on foldable PCs like the Surface Neo. These can range from single-screen to dual-screen tablet or laptop-sized devices, kind of like the Intel TigerRapids prototype. Windows 10X's shell is tailored a little differently when running in the multiple modes a foldable device might put forward, such as tablet mode, laptop mode, or somewhere in between. Pegasus is what we believe to be Windows 10X but for more traditional form factors, like a laptop or 2-in-1 with a physical keyboard. These are devices with no unique bending capabilities. This tailored version of Windows 10X will have a more familiar PC experience, but with the same design aesthetic found on Centaurus.

Why the 2-in-1 PC's next big thing will be dual displays

This version of Windows Core OS will likely be the "flagship" version that Microsoft pushes the most. It's the version that most normal people will get to interact with, as it'll be available more on consumer-orientated PCs. Its primary goal is to take on Chrome OS in the education market, but over time, it'll grow out to be the next generation of Windows for most people.

Windows Holographic

Windows Core OS for Mixed Reality devices

Official Name: Windows Holographic Codename: Oasis WCOS Edition: Holographic

Windows Holographic (codenamed Oasis) is the flavor of Windows Core OS for Mixed Reality experiences like HoloLens 2. HoloLens 2 is Microsoft's first shipping Windows Core OS product. Known officially as "Windows Holographic," this flavor of Windows Core OS is very similar to the old HoloLens 1 OS. From a usability standpoint, HoloLens 2 is a generational leap forward over HoloLens 1, thanks to the ability to touch and interact with holograms directly. Being able to walk up to and manipulate holograms with your hands is a complete game-changer. There's no learning curve to HoloLens 2 once you're aware of how to interact with it. Human instinct is to reach out and touch when you want to interact with something, and that's precisely what you do with HoloLens 2.

To access the Start menu, the Start button itself is found on your wrist. Just hold up your wrist, and a little Microsoft logo appears. Just tap it with your other hand, and the Start menu will pop up. From there, you can tap on any of the elements in your Start menu to get to where you want to go. Scrolling is a unique experience, and there are two ways to do it. You can do it via "touch," which is as you'd expect; just reach out with your finger and scroll as if you were scrolling on a tablet. There's also eye tracking available on HoloLens 2, and in certain areas that eye tracking is used in scrolling. If you get to the bottom of a window, and there's more content available to scroll, the window will automatically start scrolling.

One new thing I was able to try that wasn't working when the press first went hands-on with HoloLens 2 back in February was the new holographic keyboard. Because users can now reach out and touch holograms, Microsoft had to rework the HoloLens keyboard to accommodate for this. As such, it's a bit larger, and the keys are round now. It works just as if you were typing on a tablet. You reach out and begin poking at the area where the holographic key is showing up. It's not too accurate, but you can bang out a few sentences if you really need to.

Holographic apps can be much more advanced now, thanks to the new hand- and eye-tracking capabilities. In one of the demos, a virtual bird is floating around the room, and if you hold out your hand, the bird will fly to it wherever you are in the room.

During my hands-on, I asked whether the HoloLens 2 can run Win32 programs. Microsoft was not willing to comment, but I know from sources that this is indeed the plan. I asked because I noticed the version of Microsoft Edge that is shipping on HoloLens 2 is the old Edge, not the new Chromium Edge. I don't think the ability to run Win32 programs will be there when HoloLens 2 starts shipping, but it is something that is in the works and will likely come in the form of an update later.

Speaking of updates, the HoloLens 2 I was playing with was running the 19H1 RTM build, and it was working well. Since HoloLens 2 is a Windows Core OS device, it will benefit from the new, improved Windows Update that takes less than a minute to reboot once an update is ready to install.

Under 60 seconds

Faster OS updates

One of the big things Microsoft has been working towards with Windows Core OS is an improved Windows Update system that installs updates in the background and requires less than a minute to restart once those updates are ready to do so.

How it works is very similar to how Android and Chrome OS do updates today. On those platforms, the OS runs in two separate mirrored partitions, and when an update is ready to install, the update is downloaded and installed to the offline partition that you're currently not using. When that's done, the OS will ask you to restart, and while it may look like you're just rebooting, what's actually happening is you're booting into the partition that just spent 25 minutes installing an update in the background.

It boots right up as if there was never an update waiting to be installed, and that's because all the installing has already been done while you were busy using the other online partition. Now, you've booted into the partition where the update is installed, and the partition you were just in becomes the offline partition for newer updates to be installed to down the line.

This should solve one of the significant issues Windows has when it comes to updates. Updates can usually take anywhere between 5 to 30 minutes to install, and even longer on older devices. Windows Core OS solves this problem by making it, so the user isn't unable to use their PC for no longer than a minute. It merely restarts like normal, and you're back up and running again.

Supporting legacy apps

Will it run Win32 programs?

In the original pitch for Windows Core OS, legacy Win32 programs were not in the picture, not really. Today, however, Microsoft understands that if Windows Core OS is ever to have a chance, it needs to be able to run Win32 programs. Microsoft is exploring many different ways of bringing legacy program support to Windows Core OS, including virtually through remote and local emulation.

This functionality will be made available where it makes sense, like on Windows 10X. Win32 programs, by default, are sandboxed and containerized on Windows Core OS. This keeps the OS secure, and also allows Microsoft to emulate the additional components required to run a legacy program on a modern OS, without those components weighing down the OS experience even when you're not using a legacy program, like Windows 10 does today. Most users likely won't notice a difference, but it is a difference worthy of note.

Windows Core OS, out of the box, doesn't ship with any of the legacy Win32 programs you find on Windows 10 today. Many of them will be made available as optional features that you can either enable from Settings or download from the Microsoft Store. Things like the legacy Control Panel or File Explorer won't be part of Windows Core OS, however.

The past is prologue

What will happen to current Windows 10?

Naturally, that leads us into what this all means for current Windows 10 users. Will existing Windows 10 PCs be getting an update to Windows Core OS? Probably not. From what we've been able to tell, Windows Core OS is for new device experiences only. Legacy Windows 10, known as Windows Classic internally, will continue to be the power user option, that features all the legacy components and backward compatibility for the users that need it.

It's unclear if you'll be able to install an edition of Windows Core OS onto your current device. I'd assume there might be some driver related issues in that area. As far I know, I think Microsoft is looking to adopt the FFU recovery method of things when it comes to loading Windows Core OS onto devices, as that method is much faster to apply to devices than installing from an ISO.

Windows 10 as you know it isn't going anywhere. It'll still be the beefy, power-user option for people who need it. Windows Core OS devices will be for new device experiences, and people who don't need everything Windows 10 today has to offer. Windows Core OS can offer simplified experiences for those who prefer something like iOS or Chrome OS, instead of being bombarded and almost intimidated by the complex experience that is Windows 10.

You'll likely find that over time, the Windows 10 we know today will become the option for power-users, enterprises, and gamers, and Windows Core OS will become the option for everyone else. Just like how Apple is trying to position macOS as the power-user option, and iOS as the option for everyone else.

Windows Classic will still be updated with new features and remain on-par Windows Core OS when it comes to OneCore and platform work, but I don't think we're going to see Windows 10 evolve as much as it used to. Microsoft understands that Windows 10 users don't like change, and they just want a PC that works. Any unique ideas or innovations that change up things in a significant way will very likely come to Windows Core OS instead.

Breaking it all down

tl;dr

So what does all of that mean? Here's what Windows Core OS is, at its core:

• A universal base for Windows products.
• Allows Microsoft to build new versions of Windows for different device types quickly and efficiently.
• Shares components and features where it makes sense.
• Features faster updates.
• Is the future of Windows on new and unique device types.
• Doesn't replace legacy Windows 10.

As I mentioned in my initial Windows Core OS write up back in 2017, this is a big deal. It's the future of Windows, and Microsoft is playing the long game here. While Windows Core OS won't immediately take over, in 10-15 years, things will definitely be different. By then, Windows Core OS may be the primarily Windows platform, as it evolves and matures to be as such. We'll update this article frequently with new information as it becomes available. What are your thoughts on Windows Core OS? Let us know in the comments.

Updated March 16 2020: Cleaned up article, removed old information and included new Windows 10X details.

What you need to know

• Windows started operating under Azure's development schedule earlier this year.
• This means feature updates will now be finalized in December and June.
• Windows 10X will RTM with 20H2 in June 2020.

Microsoft's upcoming 20H1 release of Windows 10 will be the company's first version of the OS to be finalized in December, three months earlier than usual, as a result of Windows moving under Azure and adopting the "semester" based development cycle that Azure is already using. Mary-Jo Foley was first to reveal that the Windows dev cycle was being changed up earlier this year, but here's what this all means for Insiders.

In the past, Windows 10 feature updates were typically finalized in March and September, but now, these OS releases are expected to be done in December and June instead. This doesn't mean Microsoft is giving feature updates less development time; this is just a result of Microsoft outright shifting the development cycle of Windows 10 updates by two to three months. Each release still gets the usual seven to nine months in development.

Microsoft was able to make this change thanks to a decision it made when first moving Windows under Azure. To allow the Azure and Windows development schedules to align, it needed to skip a feature release. Windows 10's 19H2 release is the result of this, being an update that isn't a proper OS release like previous ones before it.

This means Windows 10's 20H1 release is just about done. It was marked as feature-complete internally back in August, and Microsoft has been mostly focused on fixing up bugs and polishing the OS for release ever since. This is why Insiders have not seen any substantial new features in 20H1 builds for a couple of months, because the 20H1 release is done. We've got a month or so left of development before Microsoft signs-off on 20H1 in mid-December.

Windows 10 20H2

This also means that work on the next Windows 10 feature update after 20H1, known as 20H2 has already started development internally, and Insiders should begin receiving 20H2 builds in the next couple of weeks. On this new development cycle, 20H2 will RTM in June 2020. This is important, as this release will play a vital role in the availability of Windows 10X on new foldable PCs expected to start shipping in fall 2020.

Now that 20H2 can RTM earlier in the year under the new dev schedule, Microsoft can use 20H2 as the shipping version of Windows 10X that's preloaded onto devices like the Surface Neo. This means Windows 10X will RTM in June alongside 20H2, and not with 20H1 as we had initially assumed. Microsoft needs the extra development time to make sure Windows 10X is as good as it can be at launch.

Regarding desktop releases, does this mean new feature updates will be made available to the public earlier than previously? Right now, I'm not too sure. As 20H1 will be done in December, Microsoft could start shipping the update to the public as early as January, but none of my sources seem to be clear if that's actually what's happening. Microsoft may decide to keep pushing out new feature updates in the spring and fall, utilizing the Slow and Release Preview ring for extensive testing of the final build before it goes to the public.

Update October 29, 2019: I'm hearing that Microsoft intends to get the RTM build out to Insiders in the Slow ring around mid-December. It'll then go to the Release Preview ring in January, before being released officially to the public in March/April, just like previous updates. So RTM is earlier, but public availablity is around about the same.

Either way, Windows is now operating under Azure's development schedule, and that means we can expect to see new feature updates finalized earlier than we've seen in the past. What are your thoughts on these changes? Let us know in the comments.

What you need to know

• Internal documentation reveals new info about Windows 10X.
• It confirms that Windows 10X will come to clamshells at some point.
• Documentation also details new user experiences and changes.

Leaked internal Microsoft documentation has revealed new details around Microsoft's upcoming Windows 10X operating system announced earlier this month for foldable PCs. The documentation shows minor details around some of the user experience changes and enhancements you can expect to see on Windows 10X, and also confirms what I've heard about how Windows 10X will also be made available for laptops in addition to foldables.

The internal documentation also reveals the name of the new Start menu, which Microsoft is now calling the "Launcher" on Windows 10X: This is similar language to what's found on Android. The new Launcher features a search bar that searches the device locally as well as in the cloud such as on OneDrive. Below is a grid of installed apps and websites. This Start menu includes both local apps and web apps as if they were one of the same, which should streamline the experience for users.

There's also going to be a new Action Center and Quick Actions design, which will also house many system tray elements. Visually, notifications will now be separated from the quick actions area, although they are still accessed using the same entry point on the taskbar. The taskbar is also configurable, with the user being able to have a centered taskbar like we've seen so far or a left-aligned taskbar like what's on Windows 10 today.

The documentation also reveals a list of apps Microsoft expects will be inbox with Windows 10X when it launches next year. The list includes the usual apps:

• Alarms & Clock
• Calculator
• Calendar
• Camera
• Excel
• Feedback Hub
• Groove Music
• Mail
• Media Plans
• Messaging
• Microsoft Edge
• Microsoft Store
• Microsoft Teams
• Microsoft To Do
• Microsoft Whiteboard
• Movies & TV
• Netflix
• Notepad
• OneNote
• Paint
• People
• Photos
• PowerPoint
• Snip & Sketch
• Solitaire
• Spotify
• Sticky Notes
• UWP File Explorer
• Voice Recorder
• Weather
• Word

This list likely isn't final, as apps such as Your Phone and Skype don't appear to be listed just yet. It's also worth mentioning that the bundled Office apps such as Word and PowerPoint will be the PWA versions wrapped in a UWP wrapper, meaning they will be native to Windows 10X. Users will, of course, be able to download the Win32 versions of Office if they need it.

The documentation makes a brief mention of a new modern File Explorer, something we've known about as being in the works for Windows Core OS devices for some time. While no images of the new File Explorer have leaked yet, this documentation is the first time we've seen it confirmed via Microsoft itself. The leak also talks about a slightly updated login UI.

Overall, these details don't reveal too much new, but they do give us a better idea at how Microsoft is planning to position Windows 10X when it starts shipping. While it will be exclusive to foldables at launch, Microsoft fully intends to make Windows 10X a version of Windows that users can buy on regular laptops and tablets as well.

Last week, Microsoft unveiled Surface Duo, a pocketable dual-screen mobile device that's coming at the end of next year. This is a project we at Windows Central have been following for almost three years under the internal codename "Andromeda." Initially positioned as a Windows Core OS device, Surface Duo will now be shipping as an Android device instead, a move that few of us were expecting, but is absolutely the right call.

Although a foldable phone by Microsoft came as a surprise to many, this is actually project we've known about for a very long time. It's something Microsoft has been working on since 2016, and has gone through many iterations and changes internally. As such, I thought it would be a cool idea to gather all the important historic points in the journey that has led us to Surface Duo, once codenamed Andromeda.

2016

Microsoft began working on its secret Andromeda project at some point throughout 2016, not too long after the company had decided to give up on Windows 10 Mobile internally. It wasn't until November 2016 where I first started hearing about the Andromeda project from sources, and to mark the occasion, I teased the Andromeda codename in a tweet alongside a number of unrelated things that I was looking forward to in the future.

At the time, I didn't know too much. My job is to dig around for information, and back then, information about the project was scarce. I knew it was a phone, and I knew it would be running a new OS from Microsoft called Andromeda OS. But that was it for the time being. Over the next two years, I would slowly but surely find out more information about this secret mobile project.

2017

In January 2017, I started hearing about more details around Andromeda. I had been told that the device was a dual-screen phone with a focus on pen and digital inking. What I mostly heard about, however, is the software side of things. Known as Andromeda OS internally, this was a flavor of Windows Core OS designed specifically for foldable devices, and its UX was a mix of both Windows 10 desktop and Windows 10 Mobile.

This UX layer was a sticking point for me, as it was being described as an integral part of the Andromeda project. This UX layer was called CShell and was a universal shell designed to adapt and be modularized so that it can run on many kinds of form factor. This would be a key component for a device with two screens that can fold into different orientations.

CShell was the first component of Andromeda that I took a keen focus on, and after talking with several sources on the subject, wrote up my first piece towards the Andromeda puzzle on January 16. Two days before this, a patent revealing a device with two screens appeared online, and it was at this moment that I started to understand the device Microsoft was trying to build.

Satya Nadella was later quoted saying that Microsoft's future phones would not look like normal phones. Not too long after, references to this "Andromeda" device started showing up in code, and leaksters like WalkingCat had begun to dig up these references online. On May 20, Cassim Ketfi fired all cylinders and wrote the first report on his findings around the Andromeda project as a whole. At the time, I still hadn't written about Andromeda itself, as I still had lingering questions around its OS.

Andromeda OS

Andromeda's OS was an interesting topic of conversation with sources, as, at the time, not everyone I was speaking to seemed to fully understand what it was. It wasn't immediately clear to me that Andromeda OS (as it was known at the time) was part of a much larger effort known as Windows Core OS. When Andromeda OS was being described to me, many were calling it a modular platform designed to scale to any form factor.

On September 20, I wrote up the second piece of the puzzle towards Andromeda. This article detailed the OS, and how Microsoft was building a modular and universal version of Windows that would run across all kinds of different devices, including Andromeda. At the time of publishing, I was still calling this effort Andromeda OS, and over the next week, several sources would clarify that Andromeda OS is just one part of this modular project known as Windows Core OS.

Finally, on October 26, I published my findings around Microsoft's secret Andromeda project, tying together the CShell and Windows Core OS articles before it to paint a picture around how enormous this effort was internally. I was told that Microsoft wouldn't be positioning this device as just a phone. At this point, I was hearing that Andromeda was on track for a late 2018 launch, with the possibility of a developer kit being released at Microsoft's Build developer conference in May 2018.

Andromeda, a dual-screen foldable phone by Microsoft that runs a new version of Windows, was really happening. And it was super exciting.

2018

As 2018 rolled around, I had started to learn about some cool camera tech that would slot the device neatly into the Mixed Reality category with capabilities such as 3D scanning and more, but new details around the project had slowed significantly outside of patents which seemingly revealed new ideas every week. Many of those ideas were not actually part of the Andromeda project, of course.

As Build 2018 approached, it became clear that Microsoft would not be shipping an Andromeda developer kit, as the project itself had slipped behind schedule. In May, I had heard from sources that the company was looking at many different ways to combat the "app-gap" problem that Andromeda would ultimately face, and one solution the company was considering was running Android apps on Andromeda via emulation, similar to Project Astoria.

The problem with Project Astoria is that it worked too well, and there were licensing and political issues around using similar tech in Andromeda. Would Google even allow it? Would it kill off any developer need to build native Windows apps? There were many questions around doing this internally.

In June 2018, The Verge reported on an internal email sent out to employees that detailed its plans around the Andromeda project. Microsoft called the device "new and disruptive" as, at the time, no foldable phones existed. However, a week later ZDNet reported that Microsoft had shelved the Andromeda project entirely. It was no longer happening anytime soon.

Andromeda is dead, or is it?

The report echoed similar concerns I was hearing from sources in May, around Andromeda's problem with not having any apps. This really was a big problem for the Andromeda project as a whole. No matter how amazing Windows was on Andromeda, if it had no apps, it might as well not ship. A pocketable mobile device, of any kind, needs apps.

Interestingly, even with this report claiming the device to be dead, I heard from some sources that Andromeda was still being worked on. Confusingly, however, I also had sources telling me that the project was indeed dead. This was further confirmed when I learned that Andromeda OS had been deprecated. If there's no OS for Andromeda, how can the project still be alive? It was at this point that I gave in and assumed the project really was dead.

Later in 2018, now and then, I'd receive tidbits of information detailing small changes to the Andromeda hardware. It was apparent that the Andromeda hardware was still being worked on, even though the project itself had been deemed dead by so many others. Why would Microsoft continue to work on Andromeda if it was dead? This was a question that I couldn't figure out an answer to.

2019

As 2019 rolled around, my focus had moved over from Andromeda to Centaurus. I had heard about Centaurus in late 2018, and it was described to me as a larger Andromeda running a version of Windows Core OS known as Windows Lite. The general consensus here was that Microsoft had shifted gears from Andromeda to Centaurus, as Centaurus was larger and, as such, could be positioned as a PC with PC apps.

In May 2019, whispers around Microsoft doing an Android phone started making its way through the Microsoft bloggersphere. Mary-Jo Foley and Paul Thurrott were the first to detail such plans on Windows Weekly, however the idea seemed so ludicrous that no one wanted to write it up. Why would Microsoft want to make an Android phone?

It appears that in the fall of 2018, Microsoft decided to swap out Windows in favor of Android on Andromeda. This was a move very few of us saw coming. It's obvious now, but at the time we all assumed an Android smartphone by Microsoft would be a traditional slab of glass. Even though I continued to hear that Andromeda was being worked on, I never once made the connection between the Android rumor and Andromeda.

In October, those two things would finally come together spectacularly as the most surprising Microsoft announcement ever. Microsoft had decided to take the Andromeda hardware and slap Android on it, solving the app gap problem in one fell swoop. Known as the Surface Duo, this is the first pocketable Surface, that's also a phone, and it's finally official.

Thoughts?

So that's a not-so-brief look into the journey we've taken together with Andromeda. It's been a rollercoaster for sure, a device that started out as the future of Windows on mobile became a device with Android instead. I think this is an excellent choice for Microsoft, as it's the only realistic way Microsoft can make a phone in 2020. Windows has no ecosystem on phones, and as such, Android is the only way forward in this department.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Centaurus is the rumored device we're all very interested in. It's a new form factor for Windows, featuring a dual-screen design and a new user experience to match. Also rumored is the ability to run Android apps, which has been of much discussion in the community following this project closely.

There are, as always, two sides to the possibility of Android apps being part of the Centaurus experience. On one side, there's the people who think this is an excellent idea. The more apps, the better, after all. But on the other side, there's people who think this is a terrible idea, as most Android apps aren't designed for the PC form factor, and could also deter developers from building native Windows apps in the future.

So we want to know what you think, and you can tell us by answering our poll. Does Centaurus need Android apps to succeed, or will it do just fine without? Let us know in our poll, then expand further in the comments. I personally don't think Android apps are a requirement for Centaurus, as I can't see myself needing any that exist. But everyone has differing needs.

Centaurus is rumored to be announced on October 2, but isn't expected to start shipping until sometime in 2020. Are you interested in the idea of a dual-screen foldable PC running Windows? Let us know.

What you need to know

• Windows Core OS is mentioned in an official Windows 10 document from Microsoft.
• Windows Core OS will run devices including the HoloLens 2 and Surface Hub but has not been officially discussed by Microsoft.
• An potential upcoming device codenamed Centaurus reportedly runs Windows Core OS.

A support document for Windows 10 version 1903 mentions Windows Core OS several times. Microsoft has never officially mentioned Windows Core OS in a statement or announcement, even though the operating system will power two devices that have already been shown off, the HoloLens 2 and the Surface Hub 2. Windows Latest spotted that a support document for Windows 10 version 1903 mentions Windows Core OS specifically.

The support document was published in April of this year but was only spotted recently. The document states that it takes 274 minutes to read and is one of many support documents from Microsoft, so it's not surprising that a few short mentions of Windows Core OS went unspotted for months.

The document is for basic level Windows diagnostic events and field for Windows 10. Underneath the subheading "Common Data Extensions.utc" the document lists three items related to Windows Core OS:

• wcmp The Windows Shell Composer ID.
• wPId The Windows Core OS product ID.
• wsId The Windows Core OS session ID.

As pointed out by Windows Latest, Github shows that the mentions of Windows Core OS were added April 19, 2019.

Windows Core OS is a version of Windows with a universal base that can work across different devices. There are several "flavors" of Windows Core OS including versions for laptops and foldable PCs, collaborative displays such as the Surface Hub 2, and Windows Mixed Reality devices like the HoloLens 2.

How to watch the Microsoft Surface event live stream on October 2

Our Senior Editor, Zac Bowden, created an extensive breakdown of Windows Core OS, including explaining several related components like CShell. There's a chance that a variant of Windows Core OS will be mentioned or shown off at the Surface event on October 2, 2019.

We're back with another exciting episode of the Windows Central Podcast, and this week, Daniel Rubino is back as he and Zac Bowden look at a 20H1 Fast ring build that includes the new Cortana experience. They also examine an unintentionally leaked build that revealed a new Start menu for Windows Lite. There's also a new dashboard coming for Xbox, and Zac gives the lowdown on his time with the unreleased HP Pro x3 Windows Phone.

This episode of the Windows Central Podcast was recorded on July 26 2019.

Links:

• Windows 10 20H1 build 18945 hits Fast ring with new Cortana experience | Windows Central
• Leaked internal Windows 10 build reveals new Start menu experience | Windows Central
• Hands-on with the shiny new dashboard in Xbox build 18362 | Windows Central
• HP Pro x3 review: This unreleased Windows Phone could have been awesome | Windows Central

Subscribe to the podcast

• Download directly: Audio
• Listen via Spotify
• Listen via: Windows Central app Windows 10 | Android
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Subscribe via RSS
• Subscribe via Google Play Music
• Subscribe via Pocket Casts

Sponsors:

• Wix Creation without limits. Visit wix.com/podcast and get 10% Off Your Wix Premium Plan — enter the code WIXPROMO at checkout.

Hosts

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden

Make this show great by participating!

Send in your comments, questions, and feedback to:

• Email: wcpodcast@windowscentral.com
• Twitter: @WindowsCentral with hashtag #wcpodcast

I really like Microsoft's universal, or Universal Windows Platform (UWP), Office apps for Windows 10. Sure, they're not as feature-packed or capable as the full Win32 versions of Office, but for me, and I'm betting a lot of people, the UWP apps are more than enough. I use them every day for looking at PowerPoint presentations, writing articles, and managing expenses. While there are some limitations, the overall experience is fine, and in some cases, great.

The state of Office UWP apps

Unfortunately, the universal Word, PowerPoint, and Excel apps Microsoft has built seem to be in a weird place. Last year, the company announced that those apps were no longer a focus, with the Win32 suite and web apps taking priority. Since then, Microsoft continued to update the Office UWP apps with new features and changes, the most recent of which introduced the new brand iconography.

Microsoft has gone so far as to hide the UWP apps in the Microsoft Store. You won't find them if you explicitly search for them, and the only way to download them today is via your previously installed list or if you look for them on the web. It's fair to say Microsoft doesn't want people using these UWP apps, even though the apps themselves continue to be updated. I believe there are two primary reasons for the continued updates. The first is that the UWP apps share a similar codebase to the Android and iOS apps. Microsoft is committed to the suite on Android and iOS, so by extension, the UWP apps get updates as well. The other reason is that the Office UWP apps are the primary Office experiences on devices like HoloLens and Surface Hub. Even with Windows 10 Mobile no longer a thing, these apps are still required for Microsoft's other hardware efforts that feature versions of Windows 10 that aren't the desktop OS.

A reignited focus with Windows Core OS?

With all that in mind, can we expect to see a reignited focus on the UWP versions of Office in the future?

I can't see Microsoft reprioritizing these apps for desktop, mainly because there are too many enterprises relying on Office extensions support and other capabilities specific to the Win32 versions. But I also don't see why Microsoft can't make the Office UWP apps the default experiences on Windows Core OS (WCOS), including Windows Lite.

Is there a future for true UWP apps on Windows 10?

Windows Lite is designed from the ground up as a lightweight, clean, and straightforward experience. Office Win32 isn't suited for that. If there's a version of Office that compliments Windows Lite, it's definitely the Office UWP apps, which are also lightweight, clean, and straightforward. I don't see why Microsoft can't just bundle these with every Windows Lite device, allowing any user that needs more advanced capabilities to go ahead and download the Win32 versions.

This could give Office UWP the kick it needs to become the mainstream version of Office that's good enough for most people, with the older Win32 versions being optional for those that need them. This is similar to Microsoft's plan with Windows Lite and Windows 10. Windows 10 will always be around for the enterprises and professionals that need it, but Microsoft is hoping Windows Lite becomes the new mainstream version of Windows for the masses.

Will these apps be free if bundled with the OS? I'm not too sure about that. As of right now, the Office UWP apps are free on devices under 10.1 inches. Anything over that and you need an active Office subscription. Office Online, however, is free to use. In fact, Office Online and Office UWP are similar in a lot of ways.

The future of Office on Windows Core OS

While I personally hope Microsoft keeps the UWP apps "native" to the universal app platform, I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft eventually turned the UWP apps into web apps, just like it did recently with OneDrive and the Office Hub app. Microsoft already has web apps for Office, and they're pretty good, in some areas even outshining the UWP apps with newer and more advanced features.

Why Microsoft's Office Mobile suite is much more than a simple set of mobile apps

I hope Microsoft repositions the Office UWP apps as the primary experiences on Windows Core OS devices. It makes sense to do so, considering what Windows Core OS stands for. This is a lightweight, modern OS experience, and I think it needs a lightweight, modern Office suite to match.

There is one thing Microsoft needs to change about the UWP apps if it wants to position them as the primary experiences on Window Core OS, however, and that's allowing the user to run multiple instances of the apps. Right now, the apps themselves can only run one instance at a time, meaning if you want to open two Word documents, you can't. This is an easy fix, but it's something Microsoft would have to do.

What are your thoughts on Office UWP and Windows Core OS? Do you think these two experiences should go hand-in-hand? Let us know in the comments.

Our favorite computer speakers for less $100

Team Windows Central wholeheartedly recommends each of these computer speaker setups, because they all bring the NOISE and will not wound your wallet.

Bose Companion 2 Series III speakers ($99 at Dell)

If you want great sound quality and value, then you want Bose. You too can have room-filling, immersive sound, so Bose says in every advertisement.

Logitech Z313 speaker system with subwoofer ($49 at Dell)

The Z313 comes with a powered subwoofer and two satellite speakers to deliver 25 watts of total power. That's enough to fill your room and then some.

GOgroove BassPULSE ($50 at Dell)

These are clearly the coolest-looking speakers recommended here, but they're not all flash and guile – these speakers can produce amazing highs and lows, for just $50.

In June, we reported that Microsoft's foldable Surface PC with Windows Core OS will run Android apps. As a result, people on the Internet started discussing how Android apps would fit into the Windows ecosystem. With progressive web apps (PWAs) and web apps becoming the norm, and Windows having some excellent UWP apps already, the "app gap" isn't as big as it used to be. But, there are still some important apps and services that would come to Windows if Android apps gain support.

Here are the top Android apps that I think would help Windows the most.

Surface 'Centaurus' could run Android apps — but would that really help 'Windows Lite' succeed?

Google Maps

The Android version of Google Maps wouldn't help desktop users much. You can browse Google Maps on the web and even force open the PWA if you'd like, but neither of those support turn-by-turn directions. Windows Lite will likely ship on foldable devices and potentially could ship on pocketable devices in the future. Always Connected PCs (ACPCs) are more common now, and a pocketable or foldable Windows device would likely have LTE connectivity that would allow Google Maps to guide people to their destinations.

I'll also throw in an honorable mention here for other Google services like YouTube, Google Photos, and Google docs that could be improved by Android apps but are currently useable on either the web or third-party apps like myTube.

Kindle

The state of books and ereading on Windows 10 is rather poor. Books purchased through the Microsoft Store are going away, and Amazon pulled its touch-friendly and usable Kindle app years ago, leaving only the mouse-oriented PC version of Kindle on Windows. While technically useable, the desktop version of Kindle is not optimized for touch and would provide a poor experience on any convertible PC that people would use as a tablet. Being able to run the Android version of Kindle would improve touch support, optimize the interface, and generally feel more like a modern e-reader.

There are some e-book options on Windows right now, such as Kobo, but Kindle is king when it comes to digital versions of books, and people don't want to purchase books again just to be able to read them on Windows devices.

Banking apps

I'm going to leave this section generic for two reasons. First, there are many banks that people like using. I've heard people claim that they'd switch banks over which one supports Windows, but I don't think that's a normal scenario. Most people are going to use the bank they want and then want that bank's app on their devices. Second, there are so few banking apps on Windows that it would take a lot of space to include all of the good banking apps that the Microsoft Store needs.

While you can bank in a browser, features like depositing checks using a camera are often exclusive to apps. Additionally, banking apps often require entering a lot of information, and using the web for banking is geared towards a mouse and keyboard. Finally, if Android apps gained access to biometric security features, you could unlock your banking app on Windows using a fingerprint.

It's worth noting that many banking apps are only built for phones so they might not scale well to tablets or other PCs. But having another option wouldn't hurt.

Amazon Prime Video

While you can watch Amazon Prime Video within a browser, the interface isn't great when compared to Hulu's PWA or Netflix's Windows app. Bringing Amazon Prime Video to Windows Lite makes sense as a lighter device will likely be aimed at general consumers who use their devices for watching media and doing lighter productivity tasks.

Several other video services would also be improved on Windows with Android apps. I think Amazon Prime Video would be the biggest addition, though, because that would mean Windows users had solid options for Netflix, Hulu, Sling, and Amazon Prime.

That one app you're missing ...

This may seem like a cop-out, but I think one of the ways that Android apps would help Windows users the most is to fill those little gaps that will never be filled with native Windows apps or PWAs. For me, it's Hudl. I use Hudl every week for two American football teams that I coach and one that I play for. We film our games and receive game film of our opponents so we can study and improve. The interface on the web is okay, but it can feel janky and has issues from time to time. I mostly use the web for uploading game footage and adding notes and use a mobile device to watch film. Hudl has an Android app with easy-to-use play controls that are optimized for touch.

For most users, Hudl wouldn't be a notable addition to the Microsoft Store. I also doubt that Hudl will ever update their lackluster Windows app, which I believe is from the Windows 8 days. Android support on Windows would mean that I can use the better version of Hudl without the company having to make another app. There are plenty of apps in a similar category that will likely never ship as Windows apps that people would love to see come through Android app support. For you, it might be PayPal, Tinder, Snapchat, or something else, but there's almost certainly an Android app that you'd use on Windows if it worked well.

On that note, which apps do YOU want?

While some big names have come to Windows through PWAs, web apps, and other ways, there are still some gaps that need to be filled. Even if Android apps come to a version of Windows, there's no guarantee that people will use them. If Android apps did come to a version of Windows, which ones would you want to use the most?

Portable (and affordable) power accessories we love

Each and every one of these charging gadgets will keep your favorite gear and gadgets going for longer, and none of them costs more than $30.

VisionTek 8,000 mAh micro-USB power bank ($13 at Dell)

This compact dual-output powerbank can speedily recharge any and all your devices, thanks to a two-amp "fast charge feature," using its micro-USB out port. Its simple design includes an LED indicator, and it costs about as much as a single ticket to the movies.

Panasonic eneloop AA batteries (From $13 at Dell)

Panasonic's rechargeable batteries are among the best available, and just a couple of them will keep your favorite remote, mice or other peripherals powered up when you need them. They're also eco. And the company's affordable charger fits and charges both AA and AAA batteries at the same time.

Belkin Qi Wireless Charging Pad ($30 at Dell)

This unobtrusive Qi wireless charging pad looks good (and kind of like a UFO …) and easily charges all your Qi-compatible device up to 5W. Its LED indicator lights up when you're charging. And it costs just $30.

It is rumored that Microsoft is working on Android app support for Surface "Centaurus", Microsoft's upcoming dual-screen tablet 2-in-1 that runs a new flavor of Windows Core OS known as "Windows Lite." This new version of Windows is designed to kickstart Windows into a new era, featuring a brand-new lightweight user experience, fast and fluid animations, and with some legacy components removed.

Will Android apps even make a difference?

Can Android apps make a difference when it comes to app support on a device like Centaurus? The ability to run Android apps on Windows is not a new idea and is something you can do today on Windows 10 via tools like Bluestacks, but it's a niche thing that people do on Windows. I've never seen your average user say they depend on Android app support on their PC, however. Most people using a Windows PC are simply using a web browser to get all their activities done.

And if they're not using a web browser, they're likely using a program that's already in the Microsoft Store, like Spotify or Office. The introduction of Android app support could fill the gaps where necessary, but on a device like Centaurus, I'm not sure if supporting Android apps is going to make a huge difference. Android tablets haven't exactly taken off, and most Android apps scale poorly on screen sizes larger than your average smartphone. Centaurus is rumored to have nine-inch displays.

Perhaps Microsoft is leaning into the upcoming Android Q desktop feature, which essentially turns any Android smartphone into a Continuum-compatible device. If developers begin taking that seriously, more apps will be built-out with desktop use in mind. That could very much change things for Centaurus, so in that context, adding the ability to run Android apps on Windows Core OS makes perfect sense.

How will the emulation work?

You also have to wonder how exactly Microsoft is planning to enable Android app support on Windows Core OS. I don't think it'll be "natively" via the Microsoft Store. I think it's possible that Microsoft would go the route of simply enabling third-party emulators (such as Bluestacks) to operate on Windows Core OS instead of building out its own "native" Android app ecosystem on Windows like it was planning with "Astoria."

The reason for this, I think, surrounds the legality of it all. Google would have to agree to something like Astoria, and Microsoft would have to pay for the Google Play Services license, because Google Play is required for many popular Android apps to be useful. Leaving it up to third-party emulators like Bluestacks means it isn't Microsoft that has to handle all the licensing and agreements with Google.

It also means Microsoft could tie it in with the whole open store idea that it announced with HoloLens 2. Bluestacks could be a storefront for Android apps on Windows Core OS that can seamlessly integrates with the Windows Shell experience, kind of like how Steam games download via the Steam store but are listed in your Start menu and placed on your desktop. An API layer would be required to enable this for emulators, but it isn't impossible.

What are your thoughts on the possibility of Android app support on Centaurus? Let us know in the comments.

Our favorite Surface accessories from Microsoft

Every one of these valuable Surface accessories is Windows Central Approved and guaranteed to please.

Surface Precision Mouse ($77 at Amazon)

The Surface Precision Mouse is not only one of favorite Surface accessories, it's one of our favorite mice for any PC. It's packed with valuable features and customizable buttons. Its scrolling and tracking are seamless and spot-on. And it's rechargeable so you never have to buy new batteries for it.

Surface Pen (From $72 at Amazon)

Every Surface owner needs this Pen. Period. It supports 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt support for shading density, and enjoys supremely low latency. When paired with a Surface PC, the potential is endless. And it comes in a bunch of cool colors.

Surface Dock ($136 at Amazon)

With two Mini DisplayPorts, four USB-A 3.0 ports, an Ethernet port, and a 3.5mm audio jack, this dock gives you the ports you need to stay connected to all your favorite devices. Plus, it easily turns your Surface into a desktop power hub. We highly recommend it.

Apple's new iPad OS is just in name only – for now, but the forked version of iOS could be a threat to Microsoft Surface down the road, at least for regular consumers (not "pros"). That's because the more iPad OS becomes like Windows 10 and the Surface, the more average people will see it as a viable light computing solution.

Also, what's the deal with Electron and JavaScript with UWP apps, and what will Windows Lite do for your "low-end PC peasants"?

All that and more on this audience-driven #AskDanWindows episode, so grab your favorite non-energy drink and watch for a few minutes!

Audience questions Episode 60

• Have you tried the leaked "Edgium" ARM64 build yet? - @mobile_dom
• Is iPadOS a threat to Surface Pros or other 2-in-1s? - @zeealeid
• What will Windows Lite entail for us low-end PC peasants? - @SirFaceFone
• Do you think we'll see ARM64 catch on eventually? - Jeremy S.
• Will Microsoft Core OS use Electron JavaScript apps packaged to UWP? - @krishna_sankisa

Thanks to everyone for the questions!

Email me!

Don't use Twitter? After much feedback, we are happy to announce you can forward your questions to AskDan@WindowsCentral.com to submit your requests!

AskDan forums!

Hate using email? Join me on our #AskDan Forums at Windows Central! I'll occasionally jump in there to try and answer questions or take ideas for new episodes of our web series.

Ask Dan Forums at Windows Central

You can also find previous episodes of #AskDanWindows here on the main landing page.

• Watch the #AskDanWindows playlist on Youtube
• Subscribe to #AskDanWindows in podcast format (RSS)

We're back with another exciting episode of the Windows Central Podcast, and this week, Daniel Rubino and Zac Bowden discuss Microsoft's non-announcement announcement about their next generation 'modern OS'. Whatever it may up end being called, this is the OS we've been reporting on for quite some time.

They also tear down all of the misleading and incorrect hot takes about the death of UWP, and Daniel reports on all the other interesting devices and announcements from Computex 2019 in Taipei. Finally, the Windows 10 May 2019 Update is available to the general public.

This episode of the Windows Central Podcast was streamed live on May 31 2019.

Links:

• What is Microsoft's new 'modern OS' all about?
• 7 biggest Computex 2019 announcements
• Windows 10 May 2019 Update review: Simple changes make Microsoft's OS run smoother

Subscribe to the podcast

• Download directly: Audio
• Listen via Spotify
• Listen via: Windows Central app Windows 10 | Android
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Subscribe via RSS
• Subscribe via Google Play Music
• Subscribe via Pocket Casts

Sponsors

Sponsors:

• Wix Creation without limits. Visit wix.com/podcast and get 10% Off Your Wix Premium Plan — enter the code WIXPROMO at checkout.

Hosts

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden

Make this show great by participating!

Send in your comments, questions, and feedback to:

• Email: wcpodcast@windowscentral.com
• Twitter: @WindowsCentral with hashtag #wcpodcast

Earlier this week, Microsoft made mention of a new "modern OS" that it aspires to create that will power new and unique device form factors like foldable PCs, laptops, tablets, and more, in the near future. But what is Microsoft's modern OS? That's the question on everyone's mind right now. Microsoft was incredibly vague in the announcement, only detailing some of the features and capabilities it hopes to include with its modern OS. It never once mentioned Windows 10, it never showed us what it looks like, and it never told us when we can expect this modern OS to be ready.

Today, I want to break down Microsoft's modern OS announcement, analyze what was highlighted, and fill in the gaps where necessary using information from sources internally at Microsoft. So let's dive in.

What is this modern OS?

Starting with the biggest question, Microsoft's modern OS is not Windows 10. Windows 10 today is built on decades of legacy code and backward compatibility support, much of which is unnecessary to most users' workflows in 2019. Microsoft's modern OS aims to rectify this. Known internally as Windows Core OS, this modern OS has been in the works since 2016 and brings Windows back to its very core, turning it into a modular platform that's universal across devices and can be built upon with ease.

Check out our ultimate guide to Windows Core OS for a complete overview

It's essentially the next generation of Windows, being built for new device types such as HoloLens 2, Surface Hub 2X, the next-generation Xbox, and other new and unique device types such as foldable PCs. It's one OS that can adapt and change to fit on any device where necessary, with little effort on Microsoft's part. It can reuse code, features, and shell experiences if required, or build out entire new features and experiences for devices where it makes sense. It's also much lighter, thanks to the fact that Windows Core OS shakes a lot of the legacy baggage normal Windows 10 carries with it. It can still run UWP and Win32 programs where necessary, of course.

Seamless updates

One of the features Microsoft mentioned its modern OS will include is seamless updates. This is something I unveiled a while back and is part of Windows Core OS. Essentially, Microsoft has reworked the OS image so that Windows Updates are no longer interruptive to the user. On Windows Core OS devices, updates behave much like they do on Chrome OS.

When an update is ready to install, it'll do so to an offline mirrored partition that the user then reboots to when the update is ready to restart. This makes the restart process incredibly quick, just as if you were rebooting like normal. This reduces update downtime to less than 30 seconds, in most cases even quicker than that. Once the OS boots back up, it'll open everything exactly where you left it, too.

The improved Windows Update is something Microsoft is very proud of and is only possible on Windows Core OS due to the changes it has made to the overall OS image, splitting it up into different partitions just like it was on Windows Mobile.

Secure by default

This leads us perfectly into the next thing Microsoft touted for its modern OS. Security by default. Windows 10 today is already rather secure by default, but this is different. Windows Core OS is secure, just like how iOS is secure. The OS image is partitioned in such a way that the user isn't able to access system files. The user gets access to its own user partition, but OS files, app files, and other system files are all located in their own locked down partitions that users can't access.

This keeps your PC incredibly secure, just like iOS. If you happen to download a malicious program, it'll be contained and dealt with without affecting your entire system. This minimizes the risk of ransomware, malware, and viruses destroying your data. The OS is separated, secured in its own containers to ensure they cannot be tampered with.

Always-connected

This one is pretty simple, as it's already available on Windows 10. Always-connected means this modern OS will support devices with LTE and 5G capabilities. If your PC has a cellular modem, then it's an always-connected device, and Microsoft's modern OS will support it.

Sustained performance

When it comes to performance, Windows Core OS should remain fast and smooth thanks to a modern shell experience, apps that are available from the Microsoft Store, and the fact that Microsoft has gutted many legacy components and features that would otherwise bog down the OS. Windows Core OS can also instantly bring you back to what you were working on when turning on the device, just like macOS.

Cloud-connected and AI

These two go hand-in-hand, and essentially confirm what we've been saying about the future of Cortana. Microsoft wants to weave AI throughout its modern OS so that the OS works for you. Thinks like Timeline, and Microsoft Office, that can work contextually and provide the information you need when you need it, without you having to seek it out.

Multi-sense

This one is interesting, as it refers to how users interact with their devices. You've got everything from mouse and keyboard, to touch, voice, pen, and gaze. Essentially, this is confirming that Microsoft's modern OS will run on any kind of device; it doesn't have to be a unique form factor that doesn't have a standard keyboard or mouse. You'll find this modern OS on laptops, tablets, even desktop PCs eventually.

Gaze is eye control, which is available on HoloLens 2, but you can add it to Windows 10 PCs using a dedicated eye-tracking accessory. Microsoft has been working hard to improve eye tracking support in Windows, and it seems Windows Core OS will take this a step further.

Form factor agility

This one is the most interesting one. What Microsoft is referring to here is CShell, Microsoft's new, universal shell that's designed to complement Windows Core OS. With CShell, Microsoft can build many different shell experiences and share them across devices, in some cases bundling multiple shells that can be enabled and disabled where necessary depending on the form factor or mode.

In short, this means Microsoft will be able to adapt Windows Core OS for any device form factor, even ones that don't yet exist. Microsoft will be able to build shell experiences that fit perfectly on new form factors, and allow them to switch between different experiences depending on whether the device is a 2-in-1, 3-in-1, or some other kind of hybrid that doesn't yet exist.

It's all about the devices

More than anything, Windows Core OS is about devices. It's about hardware partners looking to branch out and try new things. In the past, hardware makers have been pretty limited in the kind of PC they can build, and that's because Microsoft's OS offering has been very static. Windows 10 isn't a great OS for tablets, and it's not great for pocketable devices or wearables either. Windows 10 is designed for and best suited to laptops, 2-in-1's, and desktops. Windows Core OS changes this, allowing Windows to branch out, giving hardware makers the chance to try new things.

Because of this, Windows Core OS will look different on different form factors because it's adapted to the hardware it's running on. Windows Core OS on the Surface Hub 2X won't look like it does on HoloLens 2, and the same goes for laptops, foldables, and more, running Windows Core OS. Of course, these different configurations of Windows Core OS will need names, and Microsoft will name them where appropriate. Windows Core OS for HoloLens 2 is called "Windows Holographic for Business," for example.

Windows Core OS on laptops, tablets, 2-in-1's, and foldables, will likely share a different name, something that might not even include the "Windows" brand. That's a rumor at this time, but it's something to think about.

We don't know when Microsoft will start talking about its modern OS in a more official manner. The next likely timeframe would be in October, as we're told Microsoft is planning an event for around that time. Either way, Windows Core OS is coming soon, and it's going to enable a whole new generation of Windows devices.

What are your thoughts on Microsoft's modern OS? Let us know in the comments.

What you need to know

• Microsoft has started talking about a new "modern OS" for new devices.
• Seamless updates among other things have been confirmed.

A plethora of new Windows PCs have been announced at Computex this week, many featuring unique designs and dual-screen setups. We're in an era of change for Windows PCs, and that's a great thing. But it's not just the hardware that's changing, it's the software too. With Windows Core OS in the works, and coming soon, Microsoft has finally started building a narrative for this new OS, laying the foundations for what's to come.

In a post on the Windows Blog, Microsoft describes a new and modern OS designed to run on mobile device experiences like laptops, foldable tablets, dual-screen PCs, and more. While not mentioned by name, Microsoft is likely referring to Windows Lite, as that is the version of Windows Core OS that's being built for those device types. It's a new, modern, lightweight version of Windows designed with the web front and center.

In another blog post, Microsoft goes into even more detail about its modern OS, detailing several key areas it's focused on with building a modern OS:

• Seamless updates.
• Secure by default.
• Always connected.
• Sustained performance.
• Cloud connected.
• AI.
• Multi-sense.
• Form factor agilty.

Microsoft still isn't using the "Windows Core OS" name, referring to it only as "modern OS" for the time being, but the company has confirmed a few things we've been expecting to be part of Windows Core OS, including seamless updates, that should enable Windows Core OS devices to update in under a minute during a reboot. Microsoft also touts performance that doesn't degrade and form factor agility, likely referring to the new modern shell experiences that can adapt on the fly, and better security that protects users from attacks.

It's an exciting time for Windows devices, and this is just the start. Things are only going to get more interesting as we enter into 2020. Windows Core OS is the future of Windows, and is vital to the future of Windows devices. Our sources tell us we might start hearing about Windows Lite later this year, possibly in October if Microsoft is able to stick to its schedule. In the meantime, are you looking forward to Windows Core OS? Let us know in the comments.

Be sure to check out our ultimate guide to Windows Core OS

The full extract referring to the modern OS is below:

I finally had the chance to go hands-on with the new HoloLens 2 at Build 2019 in Seattle, and I was blown away.

Announced at Mobile World Congress in February, the HoloLens 2 is Microsoft's second-generation holographic computer, aimed primarily at businesses in need of unique computing experiences for workers. HoloLens 2 is nothing short of a technical marvel that will make you want one even though you might have zero use for it.

I was able to mess around with one for about 30 minutes, given free reign to try out some of the demo experiences, and the OS itself, which is Windows Core OS in the Oasis configuration. These are my initial impressions of the HoloLens 2.

HoloLens 2 hardware

Kicking things off with the hardware, so much has improved over the first-generation. Everything from weight distribution to how the device sits on your head has been given the once-over, and it really shows. Let's start with the weight because I think that's where the most significant improvements have been made.

One of the biggest complaints I had about the original HoloLens was that after a while, it became incredibly uncomfortable. All its weight was positioned at the very front of the headset, meaning your forehead and nose were taking the weight. This was fine for short periods of use, but after a while, it would strain the bridge of your nose. With HoloLens 2, Microsoft fixed this problem. HoloLens 2 is about the same weight as the original HoloLens, but Microsoft evenly distributed the weight so that now it's split between the front and back of the device. This means there's 50 percent less weight at the front, and that's 50 percent less weight on your nose.

This improved weight balance is a much bigger deal than you'd think because it means HoloLens 2 can now be worn for longer periods of time without getting uncomfortable. In fact, this change means the device doesn't even need to sit on your nose anymore. It just rests around your head. It's a much more comfortable setup.

To adjust the device, there's a little twister at the back that you can turn to increase or decrease the tightness of the headset band. The viewfinder can now also be flipped up if you need to take a quick look at the real world without Holograms getting in the way, which is another small but impactful change.

The device is powered by a Snapdragon 850 processor, meaning it's a Windows-on-ARM device. That means it has capabilities like instant wake, something the HoloLens 1 doesn't have. This reduces the boot-up time, which lets you get back to what you were doing quickly and efficiently. Regarding performance, in my short time with the device, I noticed no noticeable lag. The Snapdragon 850 is excellent for this kind of device.

Regarding the "display," the field of view has increased, but it's not a world of difference over the first-generation HoloLens. HoloLens 1 felt very cramped, almost as if you were looking through a letterbox. HoloLens 2 doesn't feel like that, but it still doesn't fill up your entire viewing area. Anti-aliasing is much improved, though, and I noticed fewer jagged lines throughout the OS and in apps.

Windows Core OS for HoloLens 2

HoloLens 2 is Microsoft's first shipping Windows Core OS product. Known officially as "Windows Holographic for Business," this flavor of Windows Core OS is very similar to the old HoloLens 1 OS, known simply as Windows Holographic. From a usability standpoint, HoloLens 2 is a generational leap forward over HoloLens 1, thanks to the ability to touch and interact with holograms directly. Being able to walk up to and manipulate holograms with your hands is a complete game-changer. There's no learning curve to HoloLens 2 once you're aware of how to interact with it. Human instinct is to reach out and touch when you want to interact with something, and that's precisely what you do with HoloLens 2.

To access the Start menu, the Start button itself is found on your wrist. Just hold up your wrist, and a little Microsoft logo appears. Just tap it with your other hand, and the Start menu will pop up. From there, you can tap on any of the elements in your Start menu to get to where you want to go. Scrolling is a unique experience, and there are two ways to do it. You can do it via "touch," which is as you'd expect; just reach out with your finger and scroll as if you were scrolling on a tablet. There's also eye tracking available on HoloLens 2, and in certain areas that eye tracking is used in scrolling. If you get to the bottom of a window, and there's more content available to scroll, the window will automatically start scrolling, which is just magical.

One new thing I was able to try that wasn't working when the press first went hands-on with HoloLens 2 back in February was the new holographic keyboard. Because users can now reach out and touch holograms, Microsoft had to rework HoloLens keyboard to accommodate for this. As such, it's a bit larger, and the keys are round now. It works just as if you were typing on a tablet. You reach out and begin poking at the area where the holographic key is showing up. It's not too accurate, but you can bang out a few sentences if you really need to.

Holographic apps can be much more advanced now, thanks to the new hand- and eye -racking capabilities. In one of the demos, a virtual bird is floating around the room, and if you hold out your hand, the bird will fly to it wherever you are in the room.

During my hands-on, I asked whether the HoloLens 2 can run Win32 programs. Microsoft was not willing to comment, but I know from sources that this is indeed the plan. I asked because I noticed the version of Microsoft Edge that is shipping on HoloLens 2 is the old Edge, not the new Chromium Edge. I don't think the ability to run Win32 programs will be there when HoloLens 2 starts shipping, but it is something that is in the works and will likely come in the form of an update later.

Speaking of updates, the HoloLens 2 I was playing with was running the 19H1 RTM build, and it was working well. Since HoloLens 2 is a Windows Core OS device, it will benefit from the new, improved Windows Update that takes less than a minute to reboot once an update is ready to install.

HoloLens 2 and Windows Core OS are exciting

My initial impressions of the HoloLens 2 are excellent. The field-of-view improvements aren't as huge as I was hoping they'd be, but it is better than the original HoloLens and doesn't feel cramped anymore. Everything else is just magical, with the way you interact with holograms topping the list.

HoloLens 2 should begin shipping later this year to businesses and developers for $3,500.

Affordable accessories that'll pair perfectly with your PC

Every one of these awesome PC accessories will enhance your everyday experience — and none cost more than $30.

KLIM Aim RGB gaming mouse ($30 at Amazon)

Whether you're a gamer or not, this is an absurdly good mouse for the price. It's ambidextrous, has a responsive sensor, a braided cable, tank-like build quality, and, yes, it has RGB lighting, though you can turn it off if that's not your thing.

AmazonBasics USB speakers ($16 at Amazon)

These neat little speakers may only pack 2.4W of total power, but don't let that fool you. For something so small you get a well-rounded sound and a stylish design. And they only cost $16.

Razer mouse bungee ($20 at Amazon)

Use a wired mouse? You need a mouse bungee to keep your cable tidy and free of snags. You get no drag on the cable, and this one has subtle styling, a rust-resistant spring and a weighted base, all for $20.

For the last several months, we've been talking about an internal project ongoing at Microsoft, codenamed "Windows Lite" which is a new version of Windows powered by Windows Core OS and built from the ground up as a modern platform for new devices. This is the version of Windows that will run on foldable PCs and lightweight computing devices, which will tackle the iPad and Chrome OS head on. For a while, it was believed that Microsoft would take the wraps off Windows Lite at its Build 2019 developer conference in May, as that's arguably the place where announcing a new version of Windows makes the most sense. Microsoft announced Windows 8 at Build, for example.

'Windows Lite' a no-show at Build

Unfortunately, it sounds like that won't be happening. I've been told by people familiar with the matter that Microsoft will not use Build 2019 as a stage for Windows Lite, as it's just not ready yet, and Microsoft doesn't want to take away from all the other developer-orientated announcements related to Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365. A Windows Lite announcement at Build would dominate headlines. So with Lite not happening at Build, when can we expect to see Microsoft announce it?

Windows Lite would be a bad name for Microsoft's upcoming OS

The timeline for Windows Lite is ever-changing, so it's hard to nail down an exact timeframe for when it will be officially announced. There are several different milestones Microsoft wants to reach internally before an announcement is even considered. For example, Microsoft is currently working hard on getting the new Chromium version of Edge to run on Windows Lite. Right now, it doesn't run because the work required to get Win32 programs running on Windows Core OS isn't yet complete.

I wouldn't be surprised if Microsoft Edge moving to Chromium has thrown a bit of a wrench into things regarding Windows Lite. From the very beginning, Windows Lite and the old Microsoft Edge have been tied at the hip. Things like Windows Sets and the old Edge played a critical role in the overall Windows Lite experience. But, now that the old Edge is going away, and Microsoft is moving entirely to the new Chromium version of Edge, some things regarding Windows Lite must adapt.

When will Microsoft announce Windows Lite?

I hear Microsoft wants Windows Lite to go into broader internal testing sometime this summer. It's likely that by then, the new Microsoft Edge will be up and running on Windows Lite. So, realistically, the earliest we could expect to see Microsoft announce Windows Lite is sometime this fall. But even then that's not guaranteed, because Windows Lite isn't scheduled to start shipping on devices until sometime in 2020 at the earliest. It all depends on whether Microsoft is planning a public preview for Windows Lite before it starts shipping.

Windows Lite is a new version of Windows that's locked down. As far as I know, you won't be able to simply install it on whatever devices you like. Internally, Microsoft uses the Full Flash Update format (FFU) to load Windows Lite onto devices, not ISOs, which are used for installing Windows onto devices today. So, Microsoft would have to create an FFU for whatever device it wants to test Windows Lite on. Internally, I know Microsoft is currently testing Windows Lite on the Surface Go, and Surface Pro 4, 5, and 6.

An announcement in the fall would only make sense if Microsoft were planning to release preview builds. Otherwise, it'd make much more sense to announce it in 2020, alongside hero devices like "Centaurus" that are supposed to ship with Windows Lite. There's very little reason to announce a new version of Windows several months or a year before people can get their hands on it, in preview form or otherwise.

Either way, work on Windows Lite is still ongoing. And, put simply, Microsoft needs this OS to succeed.

Microsoft's rumored Surface Andromeda pocket foldable PC is the dream device of many a Windows phone enthusiast. But the nightmare Samsung is enduring thanks to the early failures of its $2000 Galaxy Fold proves that some dreams are better deferred.

I have been writing about Microsoft's inking focused pocket PC dreams since 2015. Skeptics, wary of Microsoft's commitment to mobile initially dismissed this analysis. Over the years various leaks, Microsoft patents, the canceled Microsoft Courier and a leaked internal Microsoft email last year have confirmed not only Microsoft's interest in pocketable folding mobile technology, but its work toward bringing such an innovative device to market that "blurs the lines between mobile and PC."

Microsoft's Surface Andromeda folding pocket PC was expected to debut last year but, to the dismay of Microsoft enthusiasts, was unceremoniously put on the back burner. Considering the failures Samsung's Galaxy Fold is enduring as the company pioneers folding displays, Microsoft may have dodged a PR bullet related to tech that just may not be ready for prime time.

New folding tech, new challenges

In March of 2018 Qualcomm's Product Manager of Display Technology Salman Saeed, warned in an interview with TechRadar that folding display tech was not ready for market:

Electrodes power the individual pixels we see on our displays and according to TechRadar Saeed asserted that they "are not flexible enough today." This may or may not be what is contributing to some of the issues early reviewers are experiencing with the Samsung Galaxy Fold.

Samsung Galaxy Fold has issues

To date there seem to be three distinct issues that have been reported:

• Reviewers like Marques Brownlee and Mark Gurman removed or began removing the thin plastic film they mistook as the removable screen protector found on many electronic devices with screens. This film is actually a necessary part of the Galaxy Fold's technology, removal of which causes the device to malfunction.

• In another case, foreign matter or a portion of the hinge mechanism that enables the device to fold began protruding through the screen causing damage.

https://twitter.com/backlon/status/1118573836226658304

• Finally CNET's tech editor Steve Kovach saw the display begin to malfunction, flickering after one day of use.

https://twitter.com/stevekovach/status/1118571414934753280

Could the third failure be a manifestation of the electrodes susceptibility to damage as a result of folding that Qualcomm's Saeed warned about? We don't know, but Samsung's indefinite hold on shipping the device suggests the company is taking the time to find out what is causing the problems that seem to be inherent to the tech or related to design.

Though the news of the Galaxy Fold's failures is high profile, the impact for this yet-to-be-released-to-market device on consumers is minimal; unlike the "firestorm" caused by the Samsung Galaxy Note7.

Andromeda issues

Numerous factors contributed to Microsoft's decision not to launch Surface Andromeda. Without developer support, and a relatively paltry app ecosystem practical limitations as a pocketable mobile device was likely the chief motivation. Without the fruits of its Progressive Web App (PWA) investments and a less than optimal tablet UI, like the app-deficient Windows Phone and Windows 10 tablets, it would have had a sub-par mobile experience for most users. Thus, even with a unique inking focus, Microsoft pushed the project back because it had difficulty positioning this unique device for even a niche market.

Furthermore, Windows Core OS, with its context and form conforming CShell was not ready for a 2018 or 2019 Surface Andromeda launch. So, the challenges of Windows, though powerful on a pocketable form factor would have been robust, but the UI across pocketable, tablet and desktop scenarios (think Continuum) may not have been optimal.

The success of Microsoft's folding device, under ideal circumstances would have brought advantages to the table that android- and potentially iOS-based devices couldn't offer. These Windows Core OS and CShell UI advantages, the PC power Windows brings for PC mode and being part of a unified platform were cut short by a weak app ecosystem and late arrival of Core OS which is only just about to debut on HoloLens 2.

Watch, wait and iterate?

Folding tech has various manifestations such as folding inward like the Samsung Galaxy Fold (protecting the screens) and folding outward (exposing the screens) like the Huawei Mate X. Despite the patents we've seen we don't know for sure what Microsoft's folding device would have looked like and what hardware challenge it would have faced.

Whether Microsoft ultimately goes back to Surface Andromeda remains to be seen, but for now, like Apple's strategy, it has the advantage of watching, waiting and iterating. Microsoft may quietly invest in the tech while rivals make the public mistakes, take the PR heat, and perhaps having dodged the bullet, ultimately release a device that advances the tech and offers a better and unique use case. That's the ideal scenario.

At the very least even if Microsoft had followed the "HoloLens model" and executed a tailored, methodic launch of Surface Andromeda in various enterprise contexts, Samsung's Galaxy Fold's issues suggest it may have dodged a PR nightmare for risky tech that may not be ready for market.

Microsoft released an emulator for developers to test their apps for HoloLens 2, meaning we can finally go hands-on with Windows Core OS on HoloLens 2 for the first time. This is the very first version of Windows Core OS that will be shipping to the public later this year on new HoloLens 2 hardware, meaning Windows Core OS is finally on its way.

This HoloLens 2 emulator is the first time the public can play with a version of Windows Core OS. Don't get too excited, however, as Windows Core OS for HoloLens 2 is pretty similar to the OS that ships on HoloLens 1 on the surface. The only real differences are cosmetic, with UI elements on Start and windows being different.

One such change is that tiles on the Start menu are now rounded at the corners, a design trend I think we're going to see show up on other versions of Windows 10 and Windows Core OS over the coming months and years. The elements on Start also float just above it, giving the whole UI a 3D effect, which is in line with the whole holographic computing idea.

There's also a new "follow me" button that lets you dock apps just below you peripheral vision so that you can refer to it where ever you are. This is super handy if you're in an environment with lots of windows open, and you always need to have one follow you around. Just look down, and it'll be there waiting for you.

So that's Windows Core OS for HoloLens 2 on the surface. Of course, there are also additional OS capabilities enabled by the HoloLens 2 hardware, such as being able to interact with holograms using your hands, and eye recognition. What's more impressive about Windows Core OS however is how it uses the same shell across devices.

In fact, the Start menu and window UI are the same across HoloLens 2 and Windows Mixed Reality on 19H1. This is CShell, Microsoft's universal shell that has been worked on for years now. In addition, Windows Core OS also has an improved update system, that improves update speeds to that of a normal reboot. When an update is ready to restart, it takes no more than 30 seconds to boot back up. It's very impressive.

There's a lot more to Windows Core OS that we haven't yet seen as HoloLens 2 is a very tame version of it. Windows Lite, Surface Hub 2X, and the next generation Xbox are all Windows Core OS products as well, and it's there where we should start seeing the more interesting side of Windows Core OS and what it can do. In the meantime, what are your thoughts on Windows Core OS? Let us know in the comments.

We're back with another exciting episode of the Windows Central Podcast, and this week Daniel Rubino and Zac Bowden pour one out for Microsoft Band and the Health Dashboard, which are being shut down on May 31. They also discuss rumors of a disc-less Xbox One S — 'Maverick'. This leads to a great conversation about cord cutting and the role of Xbox for video streaming.

Windows Core OS is still a hot topic! Zac shares his intense efforts in creating a guide to make sense of what the upcoming operating system will be all about.

This episode of the Windows Central Podcast was recorded on March 8 2019.

Links:

• Microsoft Band apps and Health Dashboard getting the ax on May 31
• Disc-less 'Xbox One S All-Digital Edition' is a natural progression for Microsoft
• Windows Core OS: The Complete Guide

Subscribe to the podcast

• Download directly: Audio
• Listen via Spotify
• Listen via: Windows Central app Windows 10 | Android
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Subscribe via RSS
• Subscribe via Google Play Music
• Subscribe via Pocket Casts

Hosts

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden

Make this show great by participating!

Send in your comments, questions, and feedback to:

• Email: wcpodcast@windowscentral.com
• Twitter: @WindowsCentral with hashtag #wcpodcast

We're back with another exciting episode of the Windows Central Podcast, and this week Daniel Rubino takes break from packing for Mobile World Congress to speak with Zac Bowden about some hot new topics for Microsoft users. First up, 'Santorini' is the new codename for the upcoming 'Windows Lite' OS. There's also an official Windows 10 Timeline extension for Google Chrome. In relation to 'Santorini', they discuss the promise and potential of foldable devices, UWP, and PWA apps. And even though the announcement may be official by the time you listen, they dissect some last minute HoloLens 2 rumors. Check it out!

This episode of the Windows Central Podcast was recorded on February 22 2019.

Sponsors:

• LinkedIn Jobs: The right hire can make a huge impact on your business. That's why it's so important to find the right person! find the person who will help you grow your business with LinkedIn! Visit linkedin.com/wcp to get $50 off your first job post.
• Wix Creation without limits. Visit wix.com/podcast and get 10% Off Your Wix Premium Plan — enter the code WIXPROMO at checkout.

Links:

• 'Santorini' is Microsoft's new 'Windows Lite' OS codename
• Microsoft releases official Windows 10 Timeline extension for Google Chrome
• HoloLens 2 images leak ahead of official announcement at MWC 2019

Subscribe to the podcast

• Download directly: Audio
• Listen via Spotify
• Listen via: Windows Central app Windows 10 | Android
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Subscribe via RSS
• Subscribe via Google Play Music
• Subscribe via Pocket Casts

Hosts

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden

Make this show great by participating!

Send in your comments, questions, and feedback to:

• Email: wcpodcast@windowscentral.com
• Twitter: @WindowsCentral with hashtag #wcpodcast

Late last year, reports of a new Microsoft OS called "Windows Lite" began to emerge, and they detailed an OS built on Windows Core OS, that aims to take on Chrome OS with new user experiences and a focus on the web. Over the last few weeks, however, I've spotted references to another codename that appears to be in use when talking about Windows Lite in a lot of areas internally.

According to my sources, who wanted to remain anonymous, the codename "Santorini" is being used to talk about Windows Lite. Up until recently, "lite" was what people internally were calling it. It's unclear why exactly Microsoft is also using this codename, but if I had to guess, it's because the "lite" codename is a terrible representation of what Windows Lite is all about. Windows Lite isn't a lesser version of Windows; it's an entirely new OS experience designed for lightweight computing. It probably won't even be called Windows because of this. And for reference, Santorini is one of the Greek Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea.

Santorini is one of many different flavors of Windows Core OS, joining Aruba, Oasis and several others that are currently in the works internally. We've already had a glimpse at Aruba with the unveiling of the Surface Hub 2X, of which I had the chance to go hands-on with back at Ignite 2018.

In just a few days, Microsoft is also expected to unveil HoloLens 2, which should mean a look at the work Microsoft has been doing on Oasis as well.

When will we see Santorini?

Chrome OS

Rumors suggest Microsoft is planning to talk about Windows Lite at its Build developer conference in May. If so, that will be the first time the public gets a preview of Santorini, the version of Windows Core OS that we'll likely see shipping on foldable PCs and more traditional laptops and 2-in-1s, codenamed "Centaurus" and "Pegasus", respectively. The Santorini experience is slightly different depending on whether it's running on a Centaurus or Pegasus device, so different hardware use cases don't hamper the OS experience.

I'm told Microsoft has started talking a little more about its Windows Core OS plans internally. The company confirmed in a recent all-hands meeting that HoloLens 2 will ship with Windows Core OS, and even demonstrated a Windows Core OS device that was able to restart and install updates in under one minute, which is impressive.

I fully expect to hear more about Windows Core OS's different flavors throughout this year, hopefully starting at Build in May. While I don't expect we'll see any Windows Core OS devices start shipping until, at the earliest, later this year (my bet is we won't see anything ship until 2020), that doesn't mean Microsoft can't start talking about them with developers and partners.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Updated: Added clarification about the Santorini codename's use internally.

2018 has been a crazy year, not all of it great for Windows. Now, 2019 is nearly upon us which means it's time to start thinking about what might be in store for the year ahead. Based on a little bit of educated guesswork, knowledge of internal plans, and a splash of hope, here are my predictions for Windows in 2019.

Microsoft takes the wraps off Windows Lite

In 2018, the existence of something called Windows Lite reared its head. A few rumors have popped up since then, describing it as a Chrome OS competitor focused on web experiences, but we still know almost nothing about what Windows Lite really is. Quite a few internal sources have told me that Windows Lite is on track, and depending on whether or not Microsoft can keep to its internal schedule, we'll see it announced officialyl at BUILD 2019 in the spring.

I expect if that happens, we'll see Microsoft show off the new Windows Lite OS experience, built on Windows Core OS and CShell, and also explain its intentions to developers for this platform. In addition, it might not be so surprising to see Microsoft hand-out some kind developer device with Windows Lite installed. Windows Lite is the version of Windows we're expecting will run on new form-factors like Centaurus, after all.

Microsoft updates Windows Update

After the year Microsoft has had with Windows updates, it wouldn't surprise me if we see improvements to the Windows Update system in 2019. While I don't think Microsoft is going to cut-back to one update a year, I do think Microsoft is going to improve Windows Update so that when those feature updates are available, the rebooting process to install that update becomes minimal, just like on Android or Chrome OS.

On those platforms, when a new update is available, that update gets downloaded and installed onto a mirror image of the OS you're using. When the update is installed, the OS tells you it needs to restart to complete the update, but what's really happening is the OS is switching from the live image to the mirror image, where the new update has been installed, resulting in a reboot that lasts only a few seconds.

While the technical side of things may not be identical to that system, the result would be faster updates and less downtime for the user. These changes to Windows Update may be exclusive to Windows Core OS devices, but I'd hope that these improvements will make their way to legacy Windows 10 eventually too.

In addition, I also expect we'll see extra care taken when a feature update is made available. This year saw the October 2018 Update delete user files upon install, which is pretty bad. I don't think we'll be seeing anything like that again, as Microsoft has upped its internal strategy to ensure that when a feature update is finalized and sent out to the world, it has been vigorously tested internally and externally with Insiders.

Chromium Edge launches to the masses

2018 saw Microsoft give up its Edge efforts in favor of a new Edge browser built on Chromium. That new version of Edge is currently being built out internally, and employees internally are already able to download and test the latest alpha builds, which already has support for Microsoft Account login, syncing bookmarks and more to the browser.

Microsoft officially announced that developers should expect to see a preview build of the new browser made available in the first half of 2019, I suspect that will happen in the springtime. I predict a shipping version of the browser will be made available to the public in late 2019, with the browser itself replacing the default one in Windows 10 in the 2020 spring update, codenamed 20H1.

Search and Cortana are reworked on Windows 10

Microsoft has been rumored to be working on new search and Cortana experiences in Windows 10 for quite some time now, and I think we'll finally see that work come into fruition in 2019. Microsoft is already A/B testing a split between both Cortana and search experiences in 19H1, and if that change goes ahead, Microsoft will have to rework both experiences so that they stand on their own, as right now when Cortana and search are split, the experience is rough.

Microsoft is also taking search very seriously in Windows 10 after feedback from users suggested that search in Windows 10 is terrible compared to previous versions of Windows. We'll see more improvements to search under the hood so that the search experience is more accurate and fast when searching for local files and programs.

What do you think?

Those are my predictions for Windows in 2019. What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

Microsoft is working on a new HoloLens, that much is already known from various leaks and words from Microsoft. While there was talk about the next HoloLens being a standalone PC with its own Qualcomm processor, it has now been confirmed by new sources that this is indeed the case and Microsoft is set to use the Snapdragon 850.

As reported by Neowin, this is the same processor found in the Lenovo Yoga C630 and Samsung Galaxy Book. In our testing of the aforementioned Windows 10 hardware, we found the processor to be speedy enough for casual computing.

Having the HoloLens rock an ARM processor means it'll be an Always Connected PC. You'll be able to turn on the device and carry on where you left off almost instantly, something more powerful (and power-hungry) Intel processors cannot achieve. Then there's the additional X20 4G LTE modem from Qualcomm, which offers true wireless capabilities.

That's pretty much all we know thus far, aside from Windows Core OS being the software that will power everything on the new device. It's expected Microsoft will announce and release the next HoloLens in 2019.

We're back with another exciting episode of the Windows Central Podcast, and this week, tragedy befalls Daniel Rubino as he announces his upcoming trip to Hawaii for the Qualcomm Snapdragon Tech Summit. Life marches on, however, as he and Zac Bowden talk about build 18290 for Fast ring Insiders, plus lots of Surface hardware and Cortana device rumors. They also discuss updates to Office icons and the steps Microsoft is taking to refresh the UI of Windows and other applications.

Finally, what in the world is Windows Lite? They're not sure, but they've invented a new version of Windows — "Aurora".

This episode of the Windows Central Podcast was recorded on November 30 2018.

Links:

• Surface Studio Monitor and Cortana speaker may be in the works
• Office is getting new icons and they look good

Subscribe to the podcast

• Download directly: Audio
• Listen via Spotify
• Listen via: Windows Central app Windows 10 | Android
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Subscribe via RSS
• Subscribe via Google Play Music
• Subscribe via Pocket Casts

Hosts

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden

Make this show great by participating!

Send in your comments, questions, and feedback to:

• Email: wcpodcast@windowscentral.com
• Twitter: @WindowsCentral with hashtag #wcpodcast

It has been a massive week of news for Microsoft fans! Daniel Rubino and Zac Bowden are here to give you the lowdown. Windows 10 October 2018 Update has been released and subsequently pulled due to issues with user files being unintentionally deleted. (Please note that the update was pulled AFTER this episode was recorded.)

In addition, the company held its Surface event — unveiling 4 new products during the presentation: Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2, Surface Studio 2, and Surface Headphones. Separate from the Surface event, Zac reports on his look at Surface Hub 2, and his hands-on experience with its version of Windows Core OS.

HP trades aluminum for leather in their Spectre Folio convertible device. Whether or not it reinvents laptops is debatable, but Daniel does feel it moves things forward. Finally, Daniel and Zac share the most significant announcements from Microsoft Ignite 2018. Check it out!

This episode of the Windows Central Podcast was recorded on October 5 2018.

This weeks episode of the Windows Central Podcast is sponsored by LinkedIn: The right hire can make a huge impact on your business. That's why it's so important to find the right person! find the person who will help you grow your business with LinkedIn! Visit linkedin.com/wcp to get $50 off your first job post.

Links:

• Microsoft pulls the Windows 10 October 2018 Update as it investigates user files going missing
• Everything Microsoft announced at its October 2 Surface event
• Microsoft's October 2nd Surface event recap - The good, the bad, and the ugly
• Surface Hub 2 will feature a modular design, upgradable processor, but no WCOS at launch
• Watch the Microsoft Ignite 2018 keynote with Satya Nadella right here
• HP Spectre Folio convertible trades in aluminum for premium leather

Subscribe to the podcast

• Download directly: Audio
• Listen via Spotify
• Listen via: Windows Central app Windows 10 | Android
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Subscribe via RSS
• Subscribe via Google Play Music
• Subscribe via Pocket Casts
• Watch on Mixer

Hosts

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden

Make this show great by participating!

Send in your comments, questions, and feedback to:

• Email: wcpodcast@windowscentral.com
• Twitter: @WindowsCentral with hashtag #wcpodcast

This week at Microsoft Ignite, I had the chance to go hands-on with the new Surface Hub 2S and Surface Hub 2X. I was able to touch them, ask questions, and find out a little more about the upcoming collaborative display from Microsoft. Surface Hub 2S and Surface Hub 2X are two very interesting devices, if only because they're almost the same device — the only real difference between them is software.

Before we dive into the software, however, let's talk a bit more about that hardware. This was the first time I had seen a Surface Hub 2 up close, and unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos or video of the devices. I can describe them to you, though: they are fantastic. You'll find a USB-C port on all four sides of the Surface Hub 2 so that you can plug in Surface Hub 2 peripherals like a webcam, fingerprint reader, and possibly other accessories in the future, no matter the orientation.

They both also feature the same 4K display, and four loud and clear speakers which are placed at the top and bottom of the left and right sides of the display, Unfortunately, Microsoft was not ready to talk about specifications such as processor, RAM, etc. so, for now, we don't know what those are going to be.

Surface Hub 2S

Starting with the Surface Hub 2S, this is the device that will begin shipping to customers in Q2 2019. It looks and feels exactly like the Surface Hub 2X, but with a couple of minor differences. First, it doesn't come with a fingerprint reader. Surface Hub 2S doesn't support the fingerprint module due to the OS being the old Surface Hub 1 OS. There's also no way to tile the Surface Hub 2S either, meaning you can't use multiple Hub 2's side-by-side as one giant screen.

The other notable difference about this hardware is that the Surface Hub 2S is configured in the landscape orientation, which cannot be changed. The Surface Hub 2S cannot rotate into portrait mode like in the videos we've seen, likely because the old Hub OS doesn't support this functionality. The rotation mechanism is locked out of box and will unlock when you switch out the upgradable computer in the back to the Surface Hub 2X module.

Surface Hub 2X

Surface Hub 2X is the device Microsoft announced earlier this year and won't be available until sometime in 2020. It is the jaw-dropping, smooth rotating, fluid, and beautiful Surface Hub 2 experience we've seen in the videos, and it is real. Differences in hardware include the upgraded computer module in the back, fingerprint reader support, and the ability to rotate the screen.

Microsoft was unable to show us the tiling feature, which lets you stack multiple Surface Hub 2's together to make one giant screen, as the hardware still isn't final. The demo we received included the cool rotation trick, opening a file in Office, and joining a video call in Microsoft Teams. When in portrait mode, video calls make the person on the other end feel almost life-sized.

I had the chance to use the rotation mechanism on the Surface Hub 2X, and it works really well. It doesn't feel heavy, and it locks into the horizontal or vertical positions so that you don't accidentally bump it out of orientation. The software effect that keeps text and windows fixed in place when rotating looks cool, but as the software is still very early, it was a little jaggier than what we've seen in the official promo video, but still awesome nonetheless.

Windows Core OS

So, I was personally very excited to get my hands on the Surface Hub 2 because I was very interested in poking around in the OS. As we've written about in the past, Microsoft is working on a new, modern and universal version of Windows 10 called Windows Core OS, which will run on all kinds of devices, including Andromeda, HoloLens, and of course, the Surface Hub 2X. The version of Windows Core OS that runs on Surface Hub 2X is known as Aruba, or Hub OS, and features an experience tailored to the large, collaborative display form-factor.

This is the first time Microsoft has let press play around with a version of Windows Core OS, but the company still isn't ready to talk officially about what Windows Core OS is all about. Still, I had a brief few minutes to tap around the OS to see if I could find anything interesting. Microsoft was watching over my shoulder closely, however, so I couldn't dive in too much without someone telling me "NO!"

I could tell that the shell is CShell based, which is rocking the new, updated, and simplified System Tray design. The clock in the bottom right now only shows the time, omitting the date which makes the whole thing look much cleaner. It also featured Control Center, which something I wrote about back in 2017. Control Center looks very different in today's builds of Windows Core OS compared to what was leaked back in 2017, featuring Acrylic Blur effects and access to quick actions, a brightness slider, and more.

The Start Button, Timeline, and People buttons are placed in the center of the taskbar, which does differ across the different Windows Core OS experiences. For example, on Polaris, the Start button is in its usual place. Placing the Start and Task View buttons in the center of the taskbar is much better on a device like Surface Hub 2X however, as it means those using it can touch those buttons regardless of what side of the screen they're standing on.

Microsoft also showed off multi-user support, which I believe is a Windows Core OS specific thing. This allows multiple users to be logged into the same desktop at the same time, allowing documents and files to be shared across apps from two separate accounts. This is the evolution of the "family desktop" idea that was originally put forward with Home Hub, now being used on Surface Hub 2X.

The Surface Hub 2X lock screen is also very beautiful. I believe you can ink directly onto the lock screen for quick note taking that remain there until wiped away. Microsoft is also working on live wallpapers for Windows Core OS devices, although that feature wasn't being demoed to us in our brief session with the device. I also noticed that apps now feature a slightly heavier drop-shadow effect, which looks really nice.

I did ask Microsoft about whether or not Surface Hub 2X will run Win32 programs, but they were not willing to comment on that subject. I know from sources however that, at least as of right now, Surface Hub 2X cannot run Win32 programs. Since it's running Windows Core OS, it doesn't have any of the legacy guts to be able to run those programs. It's a UWP-only experience.

Overall, Windows Core OS is still absolutely happening. It's the future of Windows across all these modern devices, which is super important to stress. It's unclear which devices will be the first to ship with Windows Core OS however; we know Surface Hub 2X is shipping in 2020, but HoloLens 2 is supposed to be announced next year, and that will run Windows Core OS too. I have heard that Windows Core OS for HoloLens 2 is further behind than it is on Surface Hub 2X however, so we'll have to see.

For now, I am very excited about Surface Hub 2 and Windows Core OS. What are your thoughts on the Surface Hub 2 so far? Let us know in the comments.

Microsoft has today announced more details regarding the upcoming Surface Hub 2. Announced in May earlier this year, the Surface Hub 2 is Microsoft's second-generation collaborative display, designed for those in the enterprise and enhancing productivity within meetings and team-based projects. Today's announcements talk a little more about the Surface Hub 2's hardware, including its plans for its rollout and software experiences.

According to Microsoft, Surface Hub 2 features a modular design that makes it easy to upgrade when required. A new "processor cartridge" can be removed, upgraded, and serviced over time, which should increase the lifespan of Surface Hub 2 for customers considerably. In addition, Microsoft has also announced rollout plans for Surface Hub 2, with the first Surface Hub 2 shipments rolling out in phases starting Q2 2019.

What's interesting here is the Surface Hub 2 in 2019 will ship with a software experience known as Surface Hub 2S, which is the same version of Windows 10 found on the original Surface Hub available today. This means the unique Surface Hub 2 experiences such as smooth rotation, live wallpapers, and the ability to connect multiple Surface Hub 2's together for a larger display, won't be available on day one. Microsoft says these unique software experiences will arrive in an update called "Surface Hub 2X" in 2020.

The update requires Surface Hub 2S users to upgrade the processor to enable the new Surface Hub 2 experiences when they're made available. Microsoft hasn't explained why a processor upgrade is required for this, and it also hasn't said how much the processor upgrade is going to cost. It sounds a lot like "Windows Core OS" (WCOS) for Surface Hub 2 has been delayed until 2020, as all of the unique Surface Hub 2 features that were demoed back in May were built on Windows Core OS. Now, Surface Hub 2 is simply going to ship with the older Surface Hub OS, and upgrade to the new one based on Windows Core OS in 2020 when it's ready.

Microsoft says it's doing this because customers asked for the same Surface Hub experience in a slimmer design with updated specifications. The only other alternative would be to not ship Surface Hub 2 until 2020 at the earliest, which Microsoft doesn't want to do as there are businesses ready to buy Surface Hub 2 now. So, it'll ship with Surface Hub 2S, and in 2020, Surface Hub 2X will become available for Surface Hub 2 users to upgrade to.

What are your thoughts on these launch plans for Surface Hub 2? Let us know in the comments.

Andromeda is here! Now known as the Surface Duo, and runs Android instead of Windows

Back in October, I wrote an article detailing Microsoft's foldable tablet codenamed Andromeda, and talked about it featuring digital ink and telephony capabilities as well as running a new version of Windows 10 built on Windows Core OS. More information from various sources all over the web has since popped up, so here's a consolidated list of everything we know so far, updated August 2018.

Andromeda: What is it?

Microsoft's Surface Andromeda project is both a software and hardware effort. On the software side, Microsoft is building a new version of Windows 10 that's designed to bring the OS to a new category of mobile devices. This version of Windows 10 is codenamed Andromeda OS, and is part of Microsoft's Windows Core OS effort internally. On the hardware side, Microsoft is building its own Andromeda-based device too.

This is widely expected to be Microsoft "re-entry" into the mobile market. However, rumors suggest Microsoft will not be positioning this device as a smartphone. Instead, Microsoft is going to try and carve out a new, low-volume market for the enterprise, schools, and prosumers/creators. Microsoft did a similar thing with the Surface Studio and original Surface Pro, where it built new device categories for markets that were, at the time, low-volume or non-existent.

Andromeda: Hardware

According to my sources, Microsoft's own Andromeda device is an ARM-based foldable tablet that features two displays joined together by a hinge mechanism in the center of the device. Its primary input method is touch but will feature pen support for note-taking and inking experiences. I'm told the device will resemble that of a pocket journal, with its foldable form-factor allowing it to be opened and closed like a real notebook and fit in a pocket.

The handset will feature telephony capabilities, meaning you will be able to make calls and send texts using the device. Sources say the device will feature a Snapdragon processor and likely come in the usual 64GB or 128GB configurations. Because this device is ARM powered, sources say the Andromeda device should last a full day at least on a single charge. That, along with the fact that this device will be running Windows Core OS, means battery life should be very good.

A leaked internal email described the device as a "new and disruptive" device category that "blurs the lines between mobile and stationary computing ... bring(ing) together innovative new hardware and software experiences to create a truly personal and versatile computing experience."

It is likely that Andromeda will end up being released under the Surface moniker, Microsoft's premium line of devices that are designed to showcase the best of Windows 10. Latest rumors have suggested that Microsoft is pushing Andromeda's release date back to give itself more time to improve the software and hardware.

Andromeda: Software

Andromeda OS is the first iteration of Windows 10 that will ship under Microsoft's Windows Core OS effort. It will feature CShell, Microsoft's upcoming adaptable UI that will allow the shell to adjust itself depending on the folded position or scenario the device is being used in. This new shell is being designed specifically for dual-screened experiences and is unlike any Windows Shell on the market currently. It's gesture-based and is designed in a way that allows the shell to get out of your way when within an app.

Microsoft is also building a dedicated Journal experience that spans across both displays when in use that features OneNote and Windows Ink integration. My sources tell me that Microsoft is also looking at implementing the same collaborative tech found in the Microsoft Whiteboard app, allowing multiple people to ink within the same Journal together. Other apps may also be able to share snippets and other things directly to the Journal for safekeeping or annotating on.

The device will also feature multitasking that allows the user to snap apps side by side just like you would expect to be able to do on a dual-screen device.

Microsoft is also working on a Continuum mode for Andromeda that will provide a familiar desktop experience when extended to a large screen or connected to a dock. Powered by CShell, this Continuum will allow apps from the Microsoft Store to run in a windowed mode, along with other enhancements that make sense in a desktop environment. We have already showcased an early build of the new CShell Continuum environment, so make sure you check that out.

Internally, Microsoft refers to this improved Continuum mode as "Productivity Mode," and is being positioned as a feature that turns your pocket-device into a full PC when docked up to a large screen. Microsoft really wants to bring back the "pocket-PC" idea, but do it properly this time.

Andromeda: Pricing and release date

Our sources suggest that Andromeda will be a premium device, with pricing to reflect this. No specific price is known at this time, but it is believed the device would cost around or even upwards of $1000.

In regards to a release date, the original plan involved it being announced October of this year. Our sources now suggest that Microsoft has delayed its launch into 2019 due to not being able to complete the OS to a good standard in time. So, the delay allows Microsoft more time to finish up the OS and fine-tune the hardware.

Still more the come

We will continue to update this article with new information as it becomes available, so check back periodically! What are you most looking forward to with this rumored Andromeda device? Let us know in the comments.

Updated August 3rd 2018: We updated this post with the latest infomation we have about Microsoft's Andromeda project.

Today, Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is about much more than truly modern universal applications. It's a platform that allows developers to take advantage of all the new Windows 10 features introduced over the last couple of years, regardless of whether your app is universal, a legacy Win32 program, or even a progressive web app. UWP in its current form welcomes many app types, and while that's great news today, it is a bit of a compromise when it comes to Microsoft's future ambitions for Windows.

The original plan for the Universal Windows Platform was this idea of truly modern universal apps that let developers build once and scale across many different device types and versions of Windows 10. These universal apps target common core UWP APIs, and as such can run on modern versions of Windows 10 such as Mobile, HoloLens, and Xbox. This was quickly pushed aside when it became apparent that developers were not adopting Microsoft's new universal platform, which led to Win32 programs being allowed into the Store.

Allowing Win32 programs to tap into the universal platform today is not a bad idea at all. In fact, it makes sense, because the most popular version of Windows 10 on the market right now is the one that supports these legacy programs. Because of this, it's fair to assume that the concept of true UWP apps is dead. Movement on the universal app front has been slow, with most developers opting to shove their old legacy programs into the Store instead now that this is an option.

Is there a future for true universal apps?

So does this mean that Microsoft's vision of truly modern universal apps is dead? I don't think so. It's true that right now, not many developers are building native UWP apps on Windows 10, but that doesn't mean it's going to go away. It will always remain an option for developers, because the future of Windows depends on it. The version of Windows 10 available today is an OS built on decades of legacy code, which makes competing with more modern platforms like iOS and Chrome OS incredibly tricky for Microsoft.

The Windows Core OS (WCOS) effort is attempting to build a new version of Windows 10 that scales across different device types and guts the OS of legacy components and features in favor of native UWP apps and experiences. It's a truly modern version of Windows that's primary app platform is universal Windows apps. Of course, it will still run Centennial Win32 programs in some form, but Win32 apps will no longer be the primary, native app platform on Windows Core OS. This doesn't mean full Windows 10 today is going to go away, but it does mean that Microsoft wants true UWP apps to be the main way developers build Windows apps in the future.

I think that over time, Win32 programs will slowly take a back seat when it comes to building and using apps on Windows 10, only existing for legacy applications or programs that require APIs or functionality that simply won't be coming to UWP. Windows Core OS can run Centennial Win32 programs, but this functionality is only really there to fill any gaps that true UWP can't or hasn't yet filled.

Now, this isn't going to happen overnight, but this is Microsoft's long-term goal for Windows. As such, I firmly believe that true UWP apps are here for the long haul. I imagine that over the next few years, Microsoft is going to continue building out the Universal Windows Platform with more features and capabilities for developers to take advantage of. The end goal is to make UWP a viable replacement for legacy Win32 programs, but that's going to take time. It will be a long while before we start to see developers building desktop-class applications (like Photoshop) as true UWP apps, but that is the future Microsoft is building towards.

A long-term goal

Just like Win32 programs, developers are welcome to build native UWP apps in a number of ways, using languages such as C#, JavaScript, XAML, HTML, React Native, and more. A true universal app is one that targets only core UWP APIs, allowing it to function on versions of Windows 10 that do not include legacy APIs like full Windows 10 does today. In this context, PWAs are native universal apps. Unsurprisingly, legacy Win32 programs aren't natively universal, as they use other APIs that are not part of the core UWP API framework, and as such can't run on "modern" versions of Windows like with WCOS.

It's also important to stress that Microsoft wants UWP to be more than just mobile and lightweight apps. It wants developers to choose UWP for desktop-class apps as well. One of the big reasons we're not really seeing that yet is because the platform isn't mature enough right now, and there's no real incentive to rewrite Win32 apps as native UWP. It takes time for an app platform to mature, but UWP is slowly getting there. Interestingly, Adobe is just coming around to the idea of a full Photoshop app on iPad. It's been eight years since the iPad launched, and Adobe is only now starting to think about building a desktop-class application for it. Developers should eventually begin to do the same on Windows with the Universal App Platform.

Understanding Windows Core OS

I mean, it's pretty laughable to assume that in 10 years time, Win32 will still be the primary platform for Windows apps. Once Windows 7 is long out of support, there's little incentive to build new Win32 programs as it would be more beneficial to build a native UWP app at that point. I imagine the only apps that will still be Win32 are ones that already exist today, assuming by then they haven't been rewritten as native UWP apps. Of course, there will always be people who need legacy Windows and legacy Win32 programs, and full Windows 10 will always exist for those people. But for the rest of the world, most people would be okay with a true UWP experience, assuming the universal apps are there.

So, yes, I think there is a future for true UWP apps on Windows 10. Microsoft's end goal is to make it the primary app platform for Windows, regardless of whether it's on Windows Core OS or versions of Windows 10 that natively support legacy programs. In fact, I think Microsoft's WCOS effort is proof that the company is committed to true UWP apps alone, it's just a really long-term goal that's going to take a lot of time to achieve. I'll be talking a bit more about the Windows Core OS project and the future of Windows, but in the meantime, what are your thoughts on the future of UWP apps? Let us know in the comments!

Synaptics and AMD today announced that they're teaming up on a biometric security solution for consumer and business PCs built on AMD platforms. But for Microsoft watchers, the most curious portion of the announcement is that the biometric tech is squarely focused on a mysterious "next-generation operating system" from Microsoft.

"The collaboration brings a new level of security for AMD-based laptops by leveraging Synaptics' unique FS7600 Match-in-Sensor fingerprint sensor technology with powerful AMD Ryzen Mobile processors, and Microsoft's forthcoming biometric security OS including Windows Hello," Synaptics says.

Synaptics' Match-in-Sensor tech is a way of keeping fingerprint authentication "off the grid," the company says. Performing authentication on a dedicated chip keeps it isolated from the rest of the system, hardening security and helping to prevent potential malware from influencing the input and output functions of the sensor.

Polaris, perhaps?

It's not entirely clear what the biometric security OS is that Synaptics is referring to, as Microsoft itself hasn't announced any forthcoming releases. However, it could be related to a Microsoft project called Polaris, a more modern version of Windows 10 for desktops that Windows Central senior editor Zac Bowden reported on earlier this year.

Built on an internal project called Windows Core OS, which aims to turn Windows into a modular OS, Polaris is said to focus on desktop, laptop, and 2-in-1 form factors. The goal of Polaris is to provide a shell that Windows users are familiar with, but while leaving behind legacy components in favor of UWP apps. According to our reporting, Polaris would still be able to utilize some form of virtualization to run Win32 programs. However, dropping legacy cruft would, in theory, allow Microsoft to create a more secure version of Windows 10.

As to whether Polaris is what Synaptics is referring to, it's all speculation at this point. The last we heard was that Microsoft is targeting 2019 for a Polaris release, but it's an interesting possibility to consider. It's also worth noting that Microsoft's partner conference, Inspire, starts this week, so Synaptics could be timing its announcement with something Microsoft will reveal there.

Understanding Windows Core OS and Microsoft's 'Polaris' for modern PCs

In March, Microsoft gave a surprise preannouncement for the Surface Hub 2. The news was little more than a heads-up that refreshed hardware was planned, but more info was expected during "first half of this year."

Today is that day. Microsoft officially gave us the first preview of Surface Hub 2, and while there are still many details to be determined later this year, the video revealing the collaborative office PC is impressive.

The all new Surface Hub 2

The Microsoft Surface Hub 2 features a 50.5-inch "more than 4K" display with a familiar 3:2 aspect ratio. There is also a 4K video camera, built-in speakers, a new Surface Pen (more like a marker), far-field microphone array, and a near bezel-less screen.

The secret mojo though is that the new Surface Hub 2 can now rotate on an ingenious new hinge that lets users quickly switch the giant computer from landscape to portrait orientations. The large Surface can be mounted to a wall or on a new roller cart to make it more mobile.

Companies with deep pockets can splurge for two Surface Hub 2's placed side by side in landscape, or up to four Surface Hub 2's mounted adjacently in portrait mode. The PCs can then operate independently or together.

The Surface Hub 2 also features a thumbprint login system for Windows Hello, and in a new twist, the OS lets two users simultaneously log into the PC to share information in real time between accounts.

Windows 10 PCs and those using Microsoft Teams on any device (iOS, Android, or Windows) can interact with Surface Hub 2 directly and in "dynamic collaboration" using apps like OneNote, Teams, and Whiteboard in the office or across the world.

The other modification from the original Surface Hub is there is now only one size available versus the initial choice between 55-inch and 84-inch. Microsoft gave us the following rationale for the change:

Early testing with select Microsoft partners for Surface Hub 2 will begin later this year, and general purchasing and shipments should start in 2019.

Pricing has not been determined, but Microsoft tells us it is in line with "similar devices" (the last-gen 55-inch Surface Hub costs $8,999, so it won't likely be cheap).

What we don't know about Surface Hub 2

While there is much more to talk about with Surface Hub 2, especially with that new sizzler promo, there is plenty we do not know, including:

• Exact cost and local availability.
• If there is an internal battery for when mobile (on a cart).
• If the 4K camera will be sold separately.
• Processor, ports, and full specifications.

Those details are coming, and we expect a hands-on experience soon with Surface Hub 2.

First glimpse of Windows Core OS?

Windows Central Senior Writer Zac Bowden noted in February that Microsoft "is building an army of devices that are designed to work together" focusing on "collaboration, productivity, and 3D/Mixed Reality" with callouts to Surface Hub 2, HoloLens 2, and the rumored "Andromeda" foldable PC

Today's announcement from Microsoft seems to fall in line with that reporting.

Looking more closely at the Surface Hub 2 video the OS is a variant of Windows 10. We have long reported that C-shell and Windows Core OS would ship with Surface Hub 2 (codenamed "Aruba"; see also "Polaris") and we still believe that is the case (especially with the dual-login feature and general UI changes).

When asked, Microsoft would only say that the OS seen here is "built from Windows 10 with a focus on a collaborative environment." This is likely how Microsoft will publicly talk about Windows Core OS versus announcing something new and causing confusion.

Also spotted in the Surface Hub 2 is dynamic wallpaper that moves in the background, another feature we have heard is coming to Windows Core OS.

Microsoft informs us that the original Surface Hub will get "the same great features and updates that were built for Surface Hub 2" through a software update for current Hub customers.

Who is Surface Hub 2 for?

Microsoft sees the future of the office as collaboration. Speculating that future Surface devices – even unannounced ones – will participate in this new mode of working is not a stretch.

More to the point of Surface Hub 2, Microsoft references that millennials and Generation Z are quickly becoming the dominant age group in the workforce. These users are "digitally native" and expect to work together, while also being creative on the job. With Surface Hub 2, Microsoft is simply responding to that by asking "how can we help people be creative ... and share their ideas."

Surface Hub 2 lets users create and share while also allowing the device to exist in meeting rooms, huddle spaces, or even private offices. With a single thumbprint login, the OS pulls in your documents and information for the cloud for a glimpse of what "edge computing" actually means.

Why announce Surface Hub 2 now?

Businesses and institutions that plan long term around information technology (IT) and hardware need a long on-ramp. Microsoft knows this process can take some companies up to 18 months to switch over after initial planning and budgeting, making the enterprise space vastly different from the immediacy of the consumer market.

Presumably, companies will start to plan out for Surface Hub 2 – including the high price tag for budgets – now with anticipation to roll it out in 2019 and 2020. Microsoft is also giving companies a nod that they should likely pass on buying a new Surface Hub, or any other competitor in the market, as something better is on the way.

The original Surface Hub was one of Microsoft's most successful businesses Surfaces to date with more than 5,000 customers across 25 markets, according to the company. Microsoft looks to continue that momentum with Surface Hub 2 and working closely with current customers first.

We can assume Microsoft will share more about Surface Hub 2 in the coming months. The Microsoft Ignite conference is in September, making it an excellent opportunity for a more extensive public reveal, but Microsoft has not yet committed to any such plans.

We're back with another exciting episode of the Window Central Podcast. This week, Daniel Rubino and Zac Bowden talk about Microsoft's Windows Core OS for traditional PC form factors codenamed Polaris, everything we know so far about Andromeda, and the canceled Microsoft Band 3!

Help us make this show the best Microsoft podcast in the world. Tell your friends, share it on social media using the hashtag #wcpodcast, and give us a five-star rating wherever you download your podcasts! Thank you so much for listening!

We've got two options for you, either the video podcast or the audio podcast, both featuring the same content.

Show Notes

• 3:40 Windows Core OS, Polaris, and Andromeda
• 45:00 Microsoft Band 3 Prototype

Subscribe to the podcast

• Download directly: Audio
• Listen via: Windows Central app Windows 10 | Android
• Subscribe via iTunes
• Subscribe via RSS
• Subscribe via Google Play Music
• Subscribe via Pocket Casts

Hosts

• Daniel Rubino
• Zac Bowden

Make this show great by participating!

Send in your comments, questions, and feedback to:

• Email: wcpodcast@windowscentral.com
• Twitter: @WindowsCentral with hashtag #wcpodcast
• Or leave a comment below!

This week we talk more about Andromeda, Polaris, and if there's going to be a sequel to the Surface Studio!

Audience questions for Episode 38

• Are all future versions of Windows 10 going to be based on Windows Core OS? Do you expect it to be able to run on a smartwatch? - Oliver Lenz
• Is Microsoft's rumored foldable tablet PC - Andromeda - a one-off, or meant to create a new category for PC partners? - AlphaChap
• When should we expect the Surface Studio 2? - Mrmisa24

Thanks, everyone, for the questions! Make sure to use Twitter, email, or our forums to ask me your question for next week!

Email me!

Don't use Twitter? After much feedback, we are happy to announce you can forward your questions to AskDan@WindowsCentral.com to submit your requests!

AskDan Forums!

Hate using email? Join me on our #AskDan Forums at Windows Central! I'll occasionally jump in there to try and answer questions or take ideas for new episodes of our web series.

Ask Dan Forums at Windows Central

You can also find previous episodes of #AskDanWindows here on the main landing page.

• Watch the #AskDanWindows playlist on Youtube
• Subscribe to #AskDanWindows in podcast format (RSS)

Microsoft has big plans for Windows, and it involves stripping the OS down to its components, removing older legacy portions, and making it modular. Known as "Windows Core OS (WCOS)," the retooling will let Microsoft drive development faster and deliver new device experiences while maintaining the familiar look of Windows.

One aspect of Windows Core OS is referred to as "composers" – the user interface (UI) experience. Windows "Polaris" is one of those composers. Here is how it all fits together and why Microsoft sees this as the future of computing.

Window Core OS and OneCore

To understand how Microsoft's vision of Windows will work, it is essential to understand some of the OS architecture. Here's a list of key elements:

• Windows OneCore – Microsoft successfully unified its kernel and OS core system across devices in 2015.
• The Universal Windows Platform (UWP) – Microsoft unified its app platform, which runs on Win32 systems (x86, x64), ARM, and Xbox.
• Windows Core OS – As reported by our Senior Writer Zac Bowden, Microsoft is making Windows 10 modular. Once finished, Windows 10 will look the same, but components like Win32 and telephony support for cellular calls can be added or removed easily by Microsoft. Windows Core OS will also pave the way for a true UWP-version of Windows 10 without any native Win32 support that will eventually supplant Windows 10 S.
• Windows CShell – With the same kernel, a flexible core, and unified app platform, the last piece is the shell – or UI – that itself adapts to the screen. Taking the idea of Continuum to the OS level, CShell lets devices adjust their UIs for different tasks and experiences. A foldable mobile device would be able to scale between a phone-based UI and a tablet-based UI, and even extend into a desktop mode via Continuum, for example. Or, a Windows 10 PC could take on the Xbox UI when in gaming mode.

The idea here is simple: Windows will share the same kernel (OneCore) and now the same OS-level components (Windows Core OS), but the shell is variable and configurable based on the hardware being created.

Before this model, Microsoft had the unified kernel (OneCore), but the OS-level stuff was different across Windows 10 Mobile, Windows 10 PC, Xbox, HoloLens, and Surface Hub. Each one required its own team to maintain. While they all shared the kernel (OneCore) and app layer (UWP) the "middle" of each needed its own engineering team.

With Windows Core OS this model is killed off. The kernel, app layer and now OS-level components are all the same. The one difference will be the shell or the UI. In the Windows Core OS model, these are also referred to as "composers." For instance, there can be a tablet composer, one for desktop, and one for mobile.

Composers: Andromeda, Polaris, and more

Composers are part of the flexible shells that Windows Core OS will express. There is a mobile shell (Andromeda), desktop shell (Polaris), Surface Hub (Aruba), and mixed reality shell (Oasis).

New devices – in theory – could have multiple composers. For example, a device could act as mobile (Andromeda) but also shift to a desktop-mode (Polaris).

There could be even more composers – there are no limits. Microsoft would already have the kernel (OneCore), core OS (WCOS), and app layer (UWP) finished but it could drop in a new composer for a new type of experience, like gaming or collaboration mode.

Sound like Microsoft's Continuum experience juiced up? It is. This model is a form of Continuum built across all versions of Windows so that the OS can live on and adapt to new hardware without redoing the actual OS.

Simply put, Windows is now modular with the shell-level being the variable.

What makes a Polaris PC different?

The first time you see a Windows Core OS laptop running Polaris the software will look just like Windows 10.

Underneath, though, things are different. No longer are many legacy systems built into the OS, for example, the old File Explorer, or Fax machine. Legacy components are being gutted to streamline Windows for the next decade.

It is doubtful that all legacy systems are gone including some deeper hooks for "classic" Win32 APIs. Instead, think of Windows Core OS as a subset of the older, heavier Windows operating system.

But what about legacy apps? Microsoft has a few solutions reportedly under consideration. For one, Centennial bridged-apps from the Microsoft Store still run. Microsoft will likely put many of its own legacy apps into the Store as well to make up for their removal, like the old Microsoft Paint app.

Another solution may involve app-streaming – basically running your legacy app through the cloud to your device. But the real goal of Windows Core OS and Polaris for desktop and laptop users is UWP. Microsoft wants to get consumers using the Microsoft Store and apps on the UWP platform.

Windows Core OS: New device experiences only

Finally, it should be noted that Microsoft is not forcing Windows Core OS – whether Andromeda or Polaris – on anyone.

This streamlined version of Windows will only come to new PCs marketed with the leaner OS. In marketing talk, this is referred to audience targeting. Even then, consumers are likely not the first target. Instead, it will be positioned in the education market, including primary and secondary schools, first-line workers (FLW) and information workers.

There will also eventually probably be new consumer laptops and devices running this OS, like the new Always Connected PCs running Windows 10 on ARM. It is safe to say that future Always Connected PCs running Snapdragon processors will eventually come with Windows Core OS. They will have a lean, modern PC OS that has 4G LTE connectivity, instant-on abilities, and battery life that lasts weeks.

Windows 10 S is also likely to be supplanted by Windows Core OS and Polaris.

None of this is to say that Windows 10 Pro will be retired. Many companies, hospitals, governments, and even pro-level consumers need all that legacy support for desktops and laptops. Those devices will continue to be supported, and new hardware with it released.

But long-term, Microsoft sees Windows Core OS as the primary play for desktop, mobile, gaming consoles, mixed reality, and ambient displays (Surface Hub-like devices).

Why Windows Core OS is the right move

Windows Core OS is the right model for computing going forward. Google's Chromebooks are gaining market share – mostly in schools – but also for consumers (see this recent ZDNet article). The idea of a light, flexible, secure and utterly modern OS is needed for Microsoft if Windows is to have a future in the next decade.

The consumer market is headed towards a more mobile future. Google is selling its Chromebooks with the tagline "If you wish computers were more like phones." There's a very good reason why that message resonates, and if you have not yet figured it out, it's because you not paying enough attention.

Windows Core OS with its composers (Cshell) is the bridge to that future. For students, workers out in the field, ambient computing, and even the majority of consumers, such a model is the one taking hold. While there are a lot of questions about the future of Windows, this new architecture looks promising.

Ever since the rise – and spectacular fall – of Windows 8, the 2-in-1 PC category (or "convertibles") has been on the increase. For a few years, there was some wild experimentation by manufacturers, with spinning displays (Lenovo ThinkPad Twist), or screens that rotated around in their frames (Dell XPS 12). But it was the Surface Pro form factor – perfected with Surface Pro 3 – that nailed the basics.

In 2018, Microsoft does not even advertise the Surface Pro as a tablet. Instead, it's "the ultimate laptop with the versatility of a studio and tablet." The biggest change, though, is mindshare. Laptops that can turn into tablets for inking with ease are not only accepted, they make up the most interesting PC category around.

But what comes next? Adding two displays may not be just for phones and pocketable devices. Here is why dual-screen laptops are likely on the horizon.

2-in-1s need to be revitalized

Arguably the most significant lesson Microsoft and its hardware partners learned since Windows Vista, and the decline of the PC, is stagnation equals death. Google is on the rise with its Chromebook vision. Apple is in the midst of transitioning its core base from macOS to iOS-type devices. The competition is fierce and shows no signs of slowing down. Microsoft is rightly concerned with losing ground to Google in education, and Apple is repositioning the iPad Pro as good enough with its new "What's a computer?" ad campaign.

Surface-style laptops are more abundant than ever with the top three PC manufacturers – HP, Dell, and Lenovo – all releasing convertible PCs for consumers, enterprise, and education. This category will only grow stronger with the new Always Connected PC category

But will the "tablet PC with floppy keyboard" always be the dominant design?

There is no need to throw our current convertible form factors for something new, but evolving the category is necessary to stay ahead. If digital inking, multitasking, and flexible form factors are driving forces for the 2-in-1 PC category, dual-display Ultrabooks begin to make sense.

Yoga Book – Considering the future past

The Lenovo Yoga Book came out in October 2016. It's a device that was very much ahead of its time, which is what makes it so fascinating. Its Halo Keyboard only appears when the device is powered on, and it looks like something out of a Black Mirror episode (in fact, you can spot it in one episode of season four).

The Yoga Book, though, is a flawed device. The Intel processor is merely OK. The typing experience is awkward. The display bezels are too large. But these are minor issues that – in theory – can be resolved through intelligent engineering. Adding a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor could do wonders.

As an example of how technology can solve these problems, consider the iPhone circa 2007. The phone famously rejected physical keyboards for a touch-typing experience, which many spurned. But technology prevailed, and touch-typing on phones is now the standard.

The neat trick the Yoga Book did was switch the Halo Keyboard to an area for inking – something that Windows 10 is increasingly focusing on these days. The execution was far from perfect, but given time to germinate, the driving idea behind it is loaded with possibilities.

The rise of dual-screen convertible PCs

While dual-screen laptops have always been a possibility, I think many factors make the concept ready for mainstream starting in 2019, including:

• Lower costs to manufacture.
• Better optimized for battery consumption.
• Thin touch digitizers.
• Overall better quality control (no more dead pixels).
• Windows Core OS and Composable Shell.

Resolutions have jumped dramatically to 4K, AMOLED technology for laptops is now available, bezels are getting ultra-narrow, touch digitizers are super thin, and most importantly, prices have dropped because of mass production.

But the real driving force may be Windows 10 itself. Microsoft is going full throttle with digital inking, which is becoming increasingly popular for students.

Microsoft's composable shell, a.k.a., CShell combined with Windows Core OS is the next generation of Windows for the modern, mobile age. That Microsoft technology along with the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is going to allow for dual-screen apps and device experiences, something we'll see first with Project Andromeda, likely later this year.

But the idea behind Andromeda – a dual-screen device that folds – is not limited to just the pocketable form factor. The idea that Microsoft and its partners may be exploring how to adapt this form factor for Ultrabooks should be on your mind when considering the future of the PC.

Lenovo's Yoga Book was the first shot at this, but I assure you it is far from the last.

However, like the early days of Windows 8-era convertibles, we are likely to see some wild designs, wacky creations, and a few failures before the market finds a happy medium.

There also remain many questions to be worked out mainly around touch typing. While touch typing can get by on a smartphone, it is not clear that with today's technology it can replace a full keyboard with moving parts. But like the iPhone, this "problem" is solvable with the right engineering.

Embrace the new PC

The critical take away here is that the personal computer is far from dead. Microsoft knows PCs are its base, but it needs to continually push the form factor into new designs, solve new problems, address new concerns from customers.

The current iteration of Windows, with its legacy shell and OS components (like Win32), is a strength on the desktop but a weakness on mobile. Look for the continued jettisoning of the old Windows in the consumer market and new, radical designs for PCs going into 2019 and beyond.

Dual-screen laptops open a whole new avenue of creative options for users and a re-imagining of what a PC not only looks like but does. This is where Windows and the market are eventually headed. For those of you who hate change, fear not. Windows 10 Pro with its legacy UI and old Win32 components will remain as an option, as will "traditional" clamshell laptops with membrane keyboards.

But the PC as you know it is about to undergo a radical shift — and that's very exciting.

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) wrapping recently many people have been worried about Microsoft's Cortana assistant. After all, Amazon's Alexa and Google's smart services dominated the show with plenty of new product announcements and – more importantly – large partnerships with home accessory makers (notably absent: Apple).

Despite that, however, Microsoft did have some big announcements including Synaptics and Qualcomm for reference boards and integration into home products. The Qualcomm announcement is significant because it lets manufacturers of smart home devices add Cortana without any work – it comes built into the reference board.

Additionally, Ecobee, Geeni, Honeywell Lyric, IFTTT, LIFX, TP-Link Kasa and Honeywell Total Connect Comfort are all on board too. Indeed, my Cortana already has Ecobee and IFTTT integration letting me control my thermostat through my Android phone or Harmon-Kardon Invoke speaker.

But the more significant news that was not announced is what's coming next for Windows 10 and Cortana.

Despite not having a smartphone to serve as a proper vector for Cortana Microsoft is repositioning the smart assistant for the PC. Looking towards Windows 10 Redstone 5 in fall 2018, and Redstone 6 in 2019 Microsoft is beginning to weave Cortana and artificial intelligence (A.I.) through the shell of Windows 10.

The goal is simple: make a "globally intelligent" OS.

The idea makes sense. Combine machine learning with A.I. and dig it deep into the operating system Cortana can be a very proactive assistant. Forget asking Cortana to play a song, but rather "Hey Cortana, can you read me the last email Zac Bowden sent me" actions and much more.

And no, this is not "Clippy 2.0". This is more about hooking Cortana deeper into the native app experiences rather than a floating icon that nags you.

And despite people requesting Microsoft to just put Amazon Alexa into Windows 10 the task of making that happen – and working through Amazon – is much more work, with likely little in return. Alexa as an app on Windows 10 will not be better than Cortana as an app on iOS for similar reasons: lack of OS integration.

Some of these changes with Cortana are now just beginning. Cortana Collections is one aspect, but also Zac Bowden's recent article detailing Cortana moving to the Action Center is another. Another case is making Cortana more conversational via text since people tend to type more on a PC versus voice on a smartphone.

The future of Cortana will become evident later in 2018, but for now, Microsoft's plans involve building Windows 10 – and Windows Core OS specifically – around Cortana, not without it.

Microsoft was both lauded and derided for its Universal Windows Platform (UWP). UWP is meant to give developers a way to share code and resources easily between app projects, making it easier to target different hardware like phone, PC, tablets, and Xbox.

UWP is not a "write once, deploy everywhere" model, though in some ways it can be used as such. Nor is it only about phones, which apparently are on the sideline now for Microsoft. UWP is about building a next-generation app platform that can quickly adapt to new hardware paradigms, whether it is Windows Mixed Reality, traditional PCs, tablets, mobile devices, or your living room.

In a new report from Bloomberg, Mark Gurman, a writer who is well known for his accurate Apple leaks, details how the company is attempting to combine "iPhone, iPad and Mac apps to create one user experience."

Let's talk about what that means.

Rumored for late 2018

It is important to note that Gurman's report explicitly states that such a project is still in development:

If it goes forward, the project likely won't be announced until summer 2018 with a rollout in a preview that fall, according to Gurman. Apple declined to confirm the report.

While the shift to a more unified app platform is a great move, the idea that Apple will have solved it all out the gate is probably misguided. Of course, without any details about this system, it is too early to speculate on how powerful or flawed it may be.

Instead, I'd like to shift to where Microsoft is right now and going compared to Apple.

Microsoft's unified Core, OS, apps, and shell

Microsoft's UWP will be hitting the three-year mark in late 2018, right around when Apple's first attempt at app unification may debut.

While Microsoft continues to build out APIs and bridges – and more importantly bring legacy Win32 apps to the Microsoft Store – it is also very deep into unifying its user shell experience a.k.a. Composable Shell or CShell.

What exactly IS a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app?

This difference is massive. While Apple embarks down the same path as Microsoft (and Google too, for that matter), Microsoft is many steps ahead. Here are some examples of how:

• Windows OneCore – Microsoft successfully unified its kernel and OS core system across devices in 2015.
• Windows UWP - Microsoft unified its app platform, which runs on Win32 systems (x86, x64), ARM, and Xbox.
• Windows 10 on ARM - Announced in late 2016, Microsoft this month revealed the first devices running Windows 10 on ARM, so-called Always Connected PCs – a full port of the OS that can run on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors. These support Windows 10 S, Windows 10 Home, and Windows 10 Pro the OS can emulate Win32 applications too.
• Windows Core OS - As exclusively reported by our Senior Writer Zac Bowden, Microsoft is making Windows 10 modular. Once finished, Windows 10 will look the same, but components like Win32 and telephony support for cellular calls can be added or removed by OEMs. Windows Core OS will also pave the way for a true UWP-version of Windows 10 without any native Win32 support that will eventually supplant Windows 10 S.
• Windows CShell - With the same kernel, a flexible core, and unified app platform, the last piece is the shell – or user interface (UI) – that itself adapts to the screen. Taking the idea of Continuum to the OS level, CShell lets devices adjust their UIs for different tasks and experiences. A device running full Windows 10 for the desktop would be able to take on a Windows 10 Mobile UI to run in phone-mode. Or, a Windows 10 PC could take on the Xbox UI when in gaming mode. The possibilities are endless.

These tools combined make Windows 10 an OS that can live anywhere, on any device, with any screen size, running any processor. With UWP, the apps can run on all those devices with only minor changes.

It also means there is no Windows 10 Mobile anymore, because what made that OS unique has now been integrated into Windows 10 proper.

Apple has some of this with shared components between iOS and macOS, but its app story is very far behind. Apple has not – to our knowledge – taken any steps to unify its UI across macOS and iOS. There have long been rumors that Apple plans to turn iOS into macOS, including building MacBooks with ARM processors, but those plans have not been confirmed.

Google is also busy combining Android and Chrome OS, but it too faces the same problems and challenges as Microsoft did and now Apple too. All three companies are embarking down the same path, but Microsoft is many steps ahead there, even though it's lagging in the fastest growth area for computing: smartphones.

Apple's advantage is phones

There's no doubt that Apple has a lot going with the iPhone. Not only does the iPhone still get premium apps faster than Android, but the app quality, in general, is higher due to the controlled and limited hardware choices.

Nonetheless, there are plenty of questions about Apple's approach to app unification. Will developers merely port the apps from iOS to macOS? How robust will the tools be? How far along are the APIs?

Microsoft developers have quickly learned that building out a unified platform that seeks to emulate Win32 abilities takes years.

There are also concerns about UX and UI. Specifically, Apple developers who make apps for the iPhone – but not the iPad – will have a hard time scaling up to a 27-inch iMac display. There are a lot of considerations for screen size, type and modality (touch or non-touch) that need to be considered. For instance, adding mouse support – since Macs currently do not support touch screens – is critical and not trivial.

Looking at what Google has attempted with Android apps on Chrome OS, it is evident that "write once, run everywhere" is an idealized, but non-practical dream. Sure, it can work, but it is far from perfect.

Microsoft has already learned a lot of these hard lessons going back to Windows 8. Putting phone apps on a PC is merely not enough. I wrote earlier this year about the Microsoft Store refocusing on premium desktop apps and games and that is what happened.

Microsoft may focus on desktops with UWP — here's why you should care

Merely letting users run an iOS version of Instagram on a full Mac PC may seem like a simple solution, but long-term the novelty wears off. It's also not clear that iOS apps – the majority of which are phone-focused – have a purpose on a desktop or laptop PC. For instance, it's not evident that many people on desktops utilize the Uber app for Windows 10 – why would that be different for Apple?

The same problem that existed for Microsoft – who wants to run phone apps on a PC? – applies to Apple. Microsoft fixed that by doubling down on desktop apps and by bringing classic Win32 programs to the Microsoft Store. But is Apple trying to fix its desktop problem by running phone apps?

Unifying is hard

I see a lot of people giving Apple a lot of room here, saying "Oh, they will get it right." But none of this is easy. Microsoft has had a learning curve, as has Google. All three companies are struggling with a shifting computing world where device usage and experiences are changing.

Microsoft has its Win32 legacy to contend with for business and enterprise. It's the company's Achilles heel – it is what makes Windows 10 PCs secure, but also what holds it back. Apple is in the same situation with iOS. It is arguably the company's most forward-looking and modern OS, but Apple will have a problem with macOS completely stagnating for features and apps.

Can running iOS apps on a MacBook Pro fix the problem of users who are unhappy with its recent redesign and lack of "pro" features? It won't hurt it, but it's not apparent that it will solve Apple's seemingly reliance on just selling phones (60 percent of Apple's revenue is from the iPhone alone).

Microsoft's problem is palpable. Without a phone, its mobile game is weak. While PC sales are rebounding, and the Surface line is kickstarting a revival, there still needs to be a phone-ish device on the market. We're expecting sometime in 2018 a new generation of foldable hardware from Microsoft, meant to leapfrog current smartphones, but there are just as many questions there as there are for Apple's app strategy for macOS.

What the future of Windows 10 will look like. #AskDanWindows Episode 35

The takeaway here is not that Apple may do this better than Microsoft, but that both companies face the same problem. Does there need to be a winner? Not really. Both companies have thrived for the last 15 years, and there is no reason to think that will change.

It's more interesting that Microsoft, Google, and Apple see OS convergence as a solution, not something to be avoided.

Audience questions for Episode 35

• Can Windows 10 ARM-based devices make phone calls & text messages just as Windows phone? - Dharma teja1
• Will Microsoft release a full version of Windows 10 for phones - Donovan / Which Windows OS will MS future Courier based device will use? - Dharma teja1
• Can we expect a new UWP explorer?? or a re-skinned Explorer UI that will fit in with Windows 10 design? - Brandon T

Further reading and referenced articles

• Microsoft 'Windows Core OS' aims to turn Windows 10 into a modular platform for the future
• Why Microsoft could very well revive the Courier in 2018
• Even more folding Surface tablet images appear in patent filings

Thanks, everyone, for the questions! Make sure to use Twitter, email, or our forums to ask me your question for next week!

Email me!

Don't use Twitter? After much feedback, we are happy to announce you can forward your questions to AskDan@WindowsCentral.com to submit your requests!

AskDan Forums!

Hate using email? Join me on our #AskDan Forums at Windows Central! I'll occasionally jump in there to try and answer questions or take ideas for new episodes of our web series.

Ask Dan Forums at Windows Central

You can also find previous episodes of #AskDanWindows here on the main landing page.

• Watch the #AskDanWindows playlist on Youtube
• Subscribe to #AskDanWindows in podcast format (RSS)

Microsoft's Vice President of Operations Joe Belfiore has officially confirmed what we've been reporting for months: Windows 10 Mobile's days are numbered.

Belfiore's recent tweets confirming the "maintenance mode" status of Microsoft's mobile OS and the company's discontinuing traditional smartphone hardware is hardly news.

In fact, we explicitly stated killing Windows 10 Mobile and quitting smartphones would be prerequisites to Microsoft's Project Andromeda, Windows Core OS based mobile device. Still, could another, even enterprise-focused, Windows device propped on Microsoft's weak ecosystem succeed? Or should Microsoft look elsewhere?

Is Android the answer?

Project Andromeda may or may not result in a marketable device. Microsoft's history of abandoning consumers, developers and OEMs has left the company with weak relationships and a struggling ecosystem.

If Microsoft plows forward, it may do so with an initial enterprise-focused mobile hardware strategy as CEO Satya Nadella recently indicated.

The potential in the consumer space may have to wait for a shift from the current app model toward cross-platform technology such as progressive web apps, AI, bots and a strong PC positioning. These technologies are in their infancy, however.

Microsoft needs a bridge, now, to restore relationships with developers, OEMs, and customers that could potentially translate into broader support of the company's Universal Windows Platform (UWP) and its potential unique new hardware investments. Could bringing a Microsoft branded Android-based smartphone to consumers while still investing in a Core OS ultramobile PC in the enterprise be just what the doctor ordered?

Google has Android in its grip

Though Android Open Source Project (AOSP) is open to any OEM to do with it what they will Google has Android virtually locked down in most markets. For instance, the range of products and services Google integrates into its flavor of Android have become nearly synonymous with the platform. The billions of Android smartphones that require a Google login can be credited for this.

Furthermore, any OEM that uses Android on its devices and wishes to retain access to Google's ecosystem must abide by the company's standards not to offer a non-Google Android device.

Given these realities and their limited or non-existent ecosystems, most OEMs concede and rest their devices success in part on Google's products and services. Amazon and Chinese phone manufacturer Xiaomi are two exceptions. They each have the necessary resources to succeed with a non-Google Android ecosystem. Microsoft is another.

Could Microsoft make it as an Android OEM?

Microsoft Garage, which has yielded a range of original and powerful Android apps like Microsoft Launcher proves Microsoft can innovate on Android. The products ability to integrate with other Microsoft services also proves Microsoft's Android investments are more than skin-deep.

Additionally, the company's previous relationship with Android-focused company Lineage (formerly known as Cyanogen), allowed Microsoft to experiment with deeply integrating Microsoft services like Cortana into Android. Between Microsoft Garage, the company formerly known as Cyanogen and the plethora of cross-platform apps Microsoft has brought the platform, Microsoft knows its way around Android.

Via Microsoft Graph the company has also integrated Android devices (and to a lesser extent iOS) deeper into Microsoft's ecosystem. Syncing smartphones, via the cloud, to a Windows PC allows users to receive text messages on their PCs or continue certain activity, supported by Cortana, between the phone and PC. Microsoft has not only made Android more Microsoft-esque with cross-platform development but is making its ecosystem a more natural environment in which Android (and to lesser extent iOS) can exist.

Of course, Microsoft's vast ecosystem of productivity apps and cloud-based services like Office 365, would provide a Microsoft Android smartphone with a competitive first-party ecosystem to rival Google's.

Building Android hardware and developer relationships

Microsoft's Surface family and HoloLens prove that Microsoft can build compelling hardware. If Surface lead Panos Panay was tasked with building a first-party Android phone I'm confident it would rival the best of what Samsung and Google have put out. It would also provide a Microsoft-branded smartphone target developers might actually be interested in.

Microsoft's primary goal with investing in Android wouldn't be just to get lots of smartphone apps, however. The real prize would be the relationships with developers the android phone would help bridge. Mobile developers are not interested in UWP; they're not even sitting at the table. If Microsoft could loop them into the Microsoft ecosystem by developing for an Android smartphone, opportunities for broader development could be introduced.

Sure developing for Android and UWP are different animals. But Xamarin potentially helps lower that barrier. Suppose Microsoft, along with courting developers to build for an Android phone, also put real effort behind Xamarin. The company could make an argument that developers using Xamarin to build Android apps allows them to target multiple platforms, including Windows 10, as well. Thus, an Android phone strategically position's Microsoft to potentially win developers to UWP. This would support Microsoft's Window 10 family of devices including a potential, initially enterprise-focused, Core OS-powered mobile device.

A Microsoft android phone isn't all rosy

A Microsoft branded Android phone could potentially grab consumer mindshare and would put Microsoft's services where users are - on first-party smartphones. Microsoft could also skin its Android phone to offer a unique smartphone experience. As existing Android apps and the Nokia X prove, it could also approximate Live Tile functionality. Belfiore admits real Live Tile functionality would be complicated since each app would have to support them.

Other downsides to this plan would be poor OEM support. Most smartphone OEMs are locked into Google (and contractually prevented from making a non-Google Android phone) and are unlikely to drop what they know for a company with a shaky history in mobile.

Also, developers, even given an opportunity to develop for UWP would likely take the road of least resistance and stick with targeting only Microsoft's Android phone. This would, of course, undercut the primary goal of gaining support for UWP. Microsoft's taking and losing that gamble would also convey to current and potential UWP developers and PC OEM partners that Microsoft has little faith in UWP. Consequently, it's ecosystem could take yet another devastating blow. Distributing Android apps would also present a logistic challenge. Would Microsoft use the unified Windows Store or create a new outlet?

There's no easy fix

Microsoft jumping to Android has been suggested by many people over the years. One could logically argue several merits to the plan. Furthermore, given Microsoft's investments in the platform, high-profile Android converts like Belfiore and former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates and its dropping of Windows 10 Mobile, some might even say Microsoft is signaling such a move. I doubt it.

In my opinion, the cons of this strategy outweigh the pros. Especially if Microsoft is still investing in Project Andromeda and a unique Core OS device headed to the enterprise. Remember, the primary goal of a Microsoft Android smartphone would be to build developer relationships to benefit Microsoft's ecosystem and to support the company's unique category-defining WinCore OS device in the long-term. Unfortunately, for the reasons discussed, an Android smartphone would likely not yield these results. In fact, it would probably do more harm to UWP and Microsoft's perceived reliability than good.

But what do you think? Should Microsoft go all-in with an enterprise-focused Core OS Surface ultramobile PC and take the gamble with an Android phone for consumers?

Related reading

Should Microsoft ditch Windows Mobile and embrace Android