Chromebooks are becoming more and more popular and Microsoft wants to take advantage of this by making the Windows operating system less heavy. Still, Microsoft struggles to keep up with Google. For example, the lighter version of Windows 10 called 10S (later called S Mode) did not catch on with the general public. Microsoft does not give up. With Windows Lite, the company is making another attempt to knock Chromebooks off the throne.
According to the latest reports, Microsoft is making significant progress in the development of Windows Lite, which as the name suggests is a lighter version of Windows 10. The first rumors about such an operating system appeared in December, but now The Verge confirms that a Lite version is actually in the works.
Windows Lite will therefore be a stripped-down version of the well-known operating system and will initially target devices with two screens, according to The Verge, which may include the Surface Centaurus that is expected in the fall of this year. Later, the operating system is presumably coming to "Chromebook-like devices".
Windows Lite will also likely support any CPU, giving manufacturers more freedom in device development. Given that Qualcomm's ARM processors manage to boost the battery life of some laptops to more than twenty hours, it shouldn't be a surprise if the recently announced Snapdragon 8cx will be found in Windows Lite laptops from the second half of 2019.
Fewer functionalities
Windows Lite probably offers even fewer functionalities than Windows 10 S, but what this means exactly has yet to be clarified. Presumably you can only run applications that you have downloaded from the Microsoft store, which means a considerable concession. Although there would also be support for the so-called Progressive Web Apps (PWA). A PWA is actually a website that looks like an app and has the functionalities of an app.
The Verge was also able to show what the operating system will look like, although the note was added that the Windows Lite interface can change a bit until the official launch.
Incidentally, it is not yet known when Microsoft wants to unveil the lighter operating system. Microsoft is organizing a Build event for developers again this year. Build often shows the direction Microsoft is going with Windows and new initiatives are revealed, so it is quite possible that more information about Windows Lite will be forthcoming.
Microsoft Build 2019 will take place May 6-8 in Seattle.
