Microsoft will not release its Surface Neo dual-screen device and accompanying operating system Windows 10X this year, as the Coronavirus outbreak has shifted the company's focus

According to ZDNet, Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay told the team that the company will not produce its own dual-screen device this year, according to a person familiar with Microsoft's plans Nor will Microsoft allow third-party dual-screen devices to ship with WIndows 10X, an improved version of the company's operating system designed specifically for devices with two built-in displays

The change in plans appears to be related to the disruption caused by the global spread of COVID-19 The virus has led to an increase in the number of people telecommuting, and the popularity of Microsoft's Teams communication software has skyrocketed

As a result, the company seems committed in that direction as well, and according to a person familiar with the matter, Microsoft is aiming to make Windows 10X work well on a single screen first This may seem a bit odd, given that Windows 10X is targeted at dual-screen devices However, the software also functions as a more modular version of Windows 10 This means that it could work on devices that don't have a lot of power or a large single-screen space

You could definitely think of Windows 10X as something like Chrome OS, only without the lack of app support and features of the much-criticized Windows 10 S, making way for cheaper, Chromebook-like Windows 10 devices This could open the door

I spoke to Panay briefly last year about the Surface Duo (he was using a Surface Duo at the time) This was less than five months before the coronavirus pandemic, so Microsoft's plans for the Surface Duo may have changed significantly as they were forced to make adjustments

Both the Surface Neo and Surface Duo looked to be the most interesting Microsoft devices of the year, surpassing the Xbox Series X

[14] The Surface Neo and Surface Duo were the first to be released in the United States, and the Surface Duo was the first to be released in the United States The postponement may also be an even bigger blow to developers who have been working on preparing apps for Windows 10X using emulators