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Microsoft is Creating Windows Lite For dual-screen and Chromebook-like Devices, Report Says (theverge.com) 86

Posted by msmash from the shape-of-things-to-come dept.
Microsoft is working on a new lightweight version of Windows to power dual-screen devices and Chromebook competitors, according to a new report. The Verge: Sources familiar with Microsoft's plans tell The Verge that the software maker is stripping back its Windows user interface with dual screens in mind. This new hardware could launch as early as later this year, depending on chip and PC maker readiness. "Windows Lite," as it's codenamed internally, is a more stripped-down version of Windows that is initially being prioritized for dual-screen devices. Intel has been pushing OEMs to create this new hardware category, and machines could appear much like Microsoft's Courier concept, dual-screen laptops, or even foldable displays in the future. Either way, Microsoft wants Windows to be ready for PC makers to take advantage of it.
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Microsoft is Creating Windows Lite For dual-screen and Chromebook-like Devices, Report Says More

Microsoft is Creating Windows Lite For dual-screen and Chromebook-like Devices, Report Says

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  • App store only? limited hardware drivers? IE only?

  • The interface has been stripped down already. What more are you going to do, bring back the start screen?
  • ...have they ever tried anything like that?
    • Also sounds like Windows Compact Edition, aka Wince.
      • I had a Wince phone. I still wake up screaming.

        • This branch reminded me of my first so-called smartphone, though I don't even remember what the flavor of that year was. Not smart, but at least I've recovered from the nightmares.

          My theory is that Microsoft got over-biased to YUGE during the period when they were planning ahead for next year's hardware. At that early stage, there really were large functional improvements at a Moore's-Law pace, so it was a competitive advantage to think big, but Microsoft was never able to learn about thinking small. If the

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • ChromeBook (Score:3)

    by darkain ( 749283 ) on Monday March 04, 2019 @02:56PM (#58214126) Homepage

    For those curious, this isn't intended to be a desktop/laptop replacement, it is intended to be a ChromeBook competitor in the low-end, cheap, managed device department for schools. For those claiming "i want control", just look at the success of Google's ChromeBook. Microsoft isn't ditching the traditional OS, this is just for an alternative market sector.

    • Re:ChromeBook (Score:5, Funny)

      by MightyMartian ( 840721 ) on Monday March 04, 2019 @02:59PM (#58214142) Journal

      In other words, it's to operating systems what Zune was to MP3 players.

    • But Chromebooks are laptop replacements. Or the way they proposition them.
      They are used in schools because they only cost ~$200 and not because they are good. Or useful.
      Price first. Usability last.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Junta ( 36770 )

        Of course, schools also like the whole 'can't do crap locally' so that the device state can't be screwed up by a student. Though if they had to pay a single penny more for that, then they wouldn't do it.

      • They are used in schools because they only cost ~$200 and not because they are good.

        In schools they are inexpensive and good enough. My daughter is 11 and uses Chromebooks at her school. They're perfectly fine for collaboration, document creation and e-learning. Virtually all of the education content they consume is online - All their apps are web apps.

        By contrast, the "netbooks" schools were buying a decade ago were not "good enough" and they died a painful death.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by pnutjam ( 523990 )
          Ipads aren't good enough, but they still seem to be sticking around.. :'(

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Junta ( 36770 )

      It's goofy if it is indeed linked to 'two screen' devices.

      To the extent chromebooks succeed in practice, it is because they are cheap laptop-alikes, with screens and keyboards.

      A dual screen device would not have a keyboard, and would further cost more because a second screen is more expensive than a keyboard.

      It doesn't make sense to try to conflate 'intel wants to drive a new form factor' and 'microsoft wants to compete with chromebooks' into one thing.

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • But it's way too late to compete with ChromeBooks now. Microsoft should have started years ago.

      Come to think of it, they did. Several times, never successfully.

      • But it's way too late to compete with ChromeBooks now.

        What can you do on a Chromebook that you can't do on just about any other personal computing device? Does it have some exclusive functionality to compete with? Some catalog of programs that only run on it?

        It's too late to compete with platforms like Android and iOS that have vast libraries of native applications that you simply cannot replicate with a new entry to that established market but does ChromeOS have that as well?

        • > What can you do on a Chromebook that you can't do on just about any other personal computing device?

          Do it for $200 new in box.

          > Does it have some exclusive functionality to compete with?

          Beats me. But it doesn't matter much, because [xkcd.com].

          • > What can you do on a Chromebook that you can't do on just about any other personal computing device?

            Do it for $200 new in box.

            So the answer is no, there's nothing unique about what you can do on a Chromebook.

            Beats me. But it doesn't matter much, because [xkcd.com].

            That's exactly my point. It has no unique functionality.

            • > What can you do on a Chromebook that you can't do on just about any other personal computing device?

              Do it for $200 new in box.

              So the answer is no, there's nothing unique about what you can do on a Chromebook.

              Beats me. But it doesn't matter much, because [xkcd.com].

              That's exactly my point. It has no unique functionality.

              The point, sorry *my* point, is that it's a concept that's very difficult for Microsoft to compete against. A cheap enough OS to provide a $200 (retail) computing device that's at all useful, is simply not part of Microsoft's business model. As previously said by many here, they've tried before, and failed.

              Now, part of that failure is expectations previously set. When people found that their Windows CE or R or whatever they were calling it at the time, would not run Microsoft apps, that was often a deal

              • The point, sorry *my* point, is that it's a concept that's very difficult for Microsoft to compete against. A cheap enough OS to provide a $200 (retail) computing device that's at all useful, is simply not part of Microsoft's business model.

                Not part of their previous business model, but if you've been following along you'll notice that cloud services are really Microsoft's focus now and an operating system that treats their services as a first-class citizen (like Google's platforms do with its services) is important for that business.

  • Better be able to run everything Windows does.. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by kimgkimg ( 957949 ) on Monday March 04, 2019 @03:02PM (#58214158)
    Please don't be another Windows RT/Windows Phone.
  • Chromebooks, but with Edge. Since we already Tried Windows RT, Windows 8, Windows 10 in S mode and Windows XP Tablet edition yet another gimmick OS is needed. Meanwhile Enterprises and China stay on Windows 7 and even XP.
  • Several old laptops here would benefit from much less Win10 bloat. Will they offer me the option on a build upgrade?

  • I have seen this actually. It's a combination of several things:

    The lightweight nature of Windows CE
    The user friendliness of Windows ME
    The stability of Windows NT.

    The name of it is taken from all three:
    Windows CEMENT
     

  • Another utterly useless version of Windows inbound.

  • Microsoft keeps trying to play in this space, and it never works out well for them.

  • We've already had Windows RT (locked down, only apps from an app store). The public thought they were getting full Windows, not a deliberately crippled cut down one So return rates were high which meant shops didn't want them either. So it failed. Similar story for Windows 10S, locked down to only apps from the "Microsoft Store", only Edge and only Bing. Guess what, the public didn't want it and it failed. So if Microsoft want to try again they need to call it something other than Windows. Because as soon

  • Windows lite, isn't that a tautology like "a little bit pregnant?"

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