JULY 2020 • TECH ADVISOR 7If you’vereadourearliercoverageofWindows
10X,it’seasytoseethepotential.LikeWindows 10 S,
Windows10Xis designedtobelockeddown,sothat
onlytrustedappscanrunintheoperatingsystem.
(Thistime,however,there’sa broaderrangeof‘trusted’
apps,beyondtheWindowsStore.)Updateswilltake
placequicklyandbehindthescenes.It’spossibleno
anti-malwarewillberequired.
PerhapsthemostimportantadvantagetoWindows
10Xwillbeitscontainermodel,however.Everyapp
within Windows 10X will run within its own virtualized
container, protecting the operating system, the user’s
data,andotherapplicationsin caseanappgoes
rogue.Microsoftisalsosaying,however,thatitwill
require fewer resources and operate with lower latency
than traditional virtual machines, a necessity for an
environmentwhosehardwarewillprobably cut as many
cornersaspossibleinthenameofcost.
Windows10Xisalsovisuallysimple.Goneisthe
traditionalStartmenu,replacedwitha bland‘appdrawer’
modelthatmimicstheinterfaceofasmartphone.
Whateverhappenswilllikelytakesometimeto
shakeout.AsZDNetnotes,nailingtheappcontainer
modelwilllikelybeMicrosoft’sshort-termpriority.
Itwillhavetofinishofftheoperatingsystem,polish
it, integrate it with its existing device management
software, and convince PC makers either to create
dedicatedsingle-screenWindows10Xdevicesforit or
repurposesomeofitsexistinghardware.Mostlikely,
virtually all PC makers will follow suit – while continuing
to developandsupplyChromebooksjust in case
Windows10Xfailstogaintraction.