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Microsoft announced Windows 10X last year as the key to its dual-screen ambitions, but the company has changed course since then.

Confirming a previous rumor, Microsoft now says Windows 10X will instead target single-screen devices first. The latest tidbits from the rumor mill suggest this is more than targeting traditional laptops — Microsoft may be planning to use Windows 10X to compete directly with Chromebooks. 

Google’s first Chromebooks were sluggish, ugly, and poorly built. Over time, Chromebooks have expanded to every niche in the laptop market, even the high-end. Still, it’s the budget-priced and midrange Chromebooks that have become popular, and that’s taken a big bite out of Windows-based laptops. Similar efforts on Microsoft’s site like Windows RT have crashed and burned, but the company hopes it can strike the right balance with Windows 10X. 

According to a leaked document, Microsoft reportedly adjusted its plans when the coronavirus pandemic swept the globe. Launching expensive new dual-screen laptops in this climate is a significant risk, but demand for traditional laptops has exploded as people seek to get work done from home. Inexpensive Chromebooks, in particular, have been in high demand, but Microsoft has also seen a 75 percent jump in Windows 10 usage this year. So, the company feels it’s the right time to launch a streamlined version of Windows with a focus on traditional form factors.

Windows 10 is a feature-packed operating system with a lot of baggage from decades of ongoing Windows development. With 10X, Microsoft will feature UX improvements across the board, including a new Start Menu and window management system. It will also feature a new application container system that promises better security and performance. There’s also talk of cloud-based app virtualization technology that could make light-weight Windows laptops more capable. 

This is a tough environment to launch any product, particularly new form factors that inevitably demand a premium price. We’ve seen the same problems in the mobile space with foldable phones that cost well over $1,000. It’s just a bad time to ask people to spend that much. With all the work already done on Windows 10X, repositioning it for traditional laptops might be the best option available to Microsoft. It’s clear it needs something to go toe-to-toe with Chrome OS. Hopefully, this goes better than all the other times Microsoft tried to pare back Windows.

When will Surface Neo and all of the other dual-screen Windows 10X devices launch? That’s a question Microsoft will answer another time.

Microsoft’s Windows and Devices boss Panos Panay penned a blog post that explains the various innovations coming to Windows 10 in the near future. In that post, Panay confirmed Microsoft’s “pivot” from dual-screen Windows 10 use to single-screen Windows 10X use:

With Windows 10X, we designed for flexibility, and that flexibility has enabled us to pivot our focus toward single-screen Windows 10X devices that leverage the power of the cloud to help our customers work, learn and play in new ways. These single-screen devices will be the first expression of Windows 10X that we deliver to our customers, and we will continue to look for the right moment, in conjunction with our OEM partners, to bring dual-screen devices to market.

It’s unclear how Windows 10X will benefit Windows 10 users with traditional laptops or two-in-one devices. However, earlier in the blog post, there’s this gem about the upcoming Windows 10 May 2020 update:

We are bringing practical improvements in the bigger things, like an improved tablet experience when you detach your 2-in-1’s keyboard, allowing you to keep the familiarity of your desktop while at the same time optimizing for touch.

That suggests Microsoft is more interested in the tablet experience of Windows 10, and that must be related to Windows 10X. That said, there’s no indication on when Windows 10X will be available on existing Windows devices, or how that transition will work. Hopefully, the upcoming Build 2020 conference that will be available for free to anyone looking to attend it virtually might reveal more details about the Windows 10X rollout plans.

As for the Surface Neo, the device is expected to launch at some point next year, assuming work on the device will not be hindered by the current health crisis. Like other tech companies, Microsoft employees have been working from home for the past few weeks, a process that could lead to product launch delays. The Surface Neo isn’t the only potential victim of the novel coronavirus pandemic: The Xbox Series X might also be affected by the pandemic.

The most recent reports have said that iPhone 12 mass-production has been pushed back by at least one month. If true, that means one of two things: either Apple’s iPhone 12 models will be released on time in September and they’ll be in very short supply, or Apple will push the release back to sometime in October or November. Whatever the case, we still have at least four months and change before Apple reveals its new iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro designs. Unfortunately for Apple and luckily for us, however, the new designs have already leaked.

Apple’s iPhone 12 release timing might still be a mystery, but the iPhone 12 series itself hasn’t been a mystery for quite some time. In fact, we’ve known plenty about Apple’s iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models since even before the iPhone 11 series was released. Top Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo of TF International Securities told us back then that Apple was working on a redesigned iPhone 12 series that would usher in some big changes.

Between September and December last year, Kuo told us that Apple was working on four new iPhone 12 models, two lower-end versions with dual-lens cameras and two Pro models with triple-lens cameras. He also said all four phones would support 5G, and he said that they would have OLED displays as well as a new design with flat metal edges like the old iPhone 5. Little tidbits have been added into the mix from Kuo and from other sources since then, and now it appears as though the iPhone 12 design has been finalized. What does it look like? A new set of renders from PhoneArena gives us a good idea.

Apple’s iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Max design can be seen at the top of this post, and the design of the iPhone 12 models is directly above. They’re quite similar with the exception of the camera array on the back of each phone. In addition to the two lenses on the back of the iPhone 12 phones, the Pro models get a third lens and the LIDAR sensor from the most recent iPad Pro tablets.

PhoneArena did a pretty good job of sticking to reliable leaks when creating these renders, so they should be a very good representation of Apple’s upcoming new iPhone. That said, there are some mistakes. Several of the renders like the one below have a notch that isn’t shaped properly. Also, the blog mocked up a Project(RED) iPhone 12 Pro, which is highly unlikely. Finally, you’ll notice that the rear camera setup in all the images in this post is color-matched to the back of the phone, as is the case on the iPhone 11 series. The iPhone 12 is indeed expected to maintain that trend, but for some reason, most of PhoneArena’s other renders have black around the rear camera lenses.

If you’re looking for value in a smartphone, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better deal than Apple’s recently released iPhone SE.

Priced at $399, Apple’s next-gen SE boasts an A13 processor and, as a result, the device can outperform any number of pricier Android flagships. And as we covered earlier this week, even Android enthusiasts have taken note of the value proposition the iPhone SE brings to the table.

When the original iPhone SE was released in 2016, the device proved to be far more popular than even Apple executives anticipated. And just yesterday, during Apple’s earnings conference call, Tim Cook said that Apple has already seen a “strong customer response to the iPhone SE.”

What’s more, Cook anticipates that the value provided by the iPhone SE will help lure over Android users.

“And I expect some fair number of people switching over to iOS,” Cook said in reference to the company’s new wallet-friendly device. “And so it’s an unbelievable offer. It’s, if you will, the engine of our top phones in a very affordable package. And it’s faster than the fastest Android phones, and so it’s an exceptional value.”

As an illustrative point, here’s how the iPhone SE stacks up against a similarly priced Android device, courtesy of Android Police:

Almost across the board, the iPhone SE beats the current Pixel 3a, which is our favorite mid-range phone. It has an IP rating, the Pixel 3a doesn’t. It has a flagship chipset, the Pixel 3a doesn’t. The SE has wireless charging, amazing haptics, and ambient color-adapting True Tone. The Pixel 3a might have a better camera, but that’s just one point in its favor. In almost every other metric the 2020 iPhone SE meets or exceeds not just the Pixel 3a, but every other mid-range Android phone at the $400 price — outside the question of software, anyway. And it looks like the SE will probably beat Google’s upcoming Pixel 4a, too.

Honestly, I’m upset that there isn’t a $400 Android phone that’s as all-around good as the new iPhone SE, but Apple is just able to compete with its economy of scale here in a way that Android manufacturers can’t.

Even if we disregard price, the iPhone SE’s performance can easily outperform Android devices with Snapdragon 855 chipsets. What’s more, it even comes out on top when going toe-to-toe with top of the line Android handsets with Snapdragon 865 chipsets. In one review that made the rounds earlier this week, Apple’s iPhone SE was able to outmatch Samsung’s Galaxy S20+. And whereas the iPhone SE costs $399, the Galaxy S20+ will set you back $1,199.

Apple doesn’t release iPhone sales figures anymore, let alone provide sales breakdowns across specific models, but it stands to reason that the iPhone SE will prove to be an incredibly popular device over the next few months.

The novel coronavirus altered normal life in a way we wouldn’t have imagined a few months ago. The virus is very contagious and has the potential to kill anyone.

Yes, many people are asymptomatic or develop mild versions of COVID-19, and it’s usually the elderly or people with other existing medical problems that get a severe, potentially deadly case. But there are exceptions, and you have no way of knowing how your COVID-19 experience will be like. That’s why you have to stay indoors for as long as possible, wash your hands often, and clean regularly commonly used surfaces. When you go outside, you have to wear some sort of mask. Anything that covers your mouth and nose can be used at least until you find medical masks in stores. And you should do it every time you go shopping for essentials or to work. A mask is a barrier that will not completely reduce the risk of inhaling droplets containing the virus. There’s nothing that’s 100% effective against it. But it can reduce the risk of contracting an infection in public places.

However, the use of a mask practically ruins one of the best features the iPhone ever got, the Face ID 3D face recognition system. And once you get hooked to it, it’ll be very annoying to keep entering your password every single time you need to unlock the phone. With that in mind, I can’t help but wonder whether the current pandemic will affect Apple’s plans for Face ID.

COVID-19 is here to stay, and we’ll only get rid of it in the coming years, in a best-case scenario where we’ll have at least a vaccine to prevent the infection. That means we’ll be using masks for some time to come, maybe well into 2022.

And if you’re using masks while shopping for goods, or working, then you’d better make sure you use them correctly. That means the mask has to cover both the nose and mouth, and you have to avoid touching the external surface of the mask at all times. That implies not removing the mask and parking it on your chin for any purpose, unlocking the iPhone included. If you’re going to do that, then you’re better off without a mask.

With a mask on, Face ID won’t work, and you’ll need to type in your passcode. Luckily, Apple has made it a lot easier by changing the unlock screen in the latest iOS 13 beta so that you can type in the password faster than before. However, that’s still a huge inconvenience when you’re out and about.

I’ve always used a password with the iPhone, and I don’t plan on ever removing the screen protection that also encrypts the handset. Touch ID made it even easier to unlock the phone, and then Face ID came. I said before that I wouldn’t want to switch back to Touch ID now that I’ve experienced Face ID, and I won’t take that back. But what happens if wearing a face mask will become the new normal for the coming years? What if something terrible happens and the vaccines don’t work?

When Apple launched Face ID back in 2017, it was the most sophisticated phone unlock experience ever made. It still is, as very few smartphone makers replicated Apple’s 3D face recognition system. Face ID is more secure than Touch ID and works even better once you get used to it. And it’s not just for screen unlocking, as Face ID practically unlocks anything that has a password on the phone. It’s super easy to use and set up.

The face mask ruins all of that. Apple’s iPhone 12 models will all have smaller notches, several reports said, as Apple is looking to reduce the size of the notch. And it’s likely that next year’s iPhones will still come with Face ID support. But it’ll be interesting to see whether the COVID-19 pandemic will force Apple to add Touch ID back to the iPhone at some point in the future. And if it’ll happen, can Touch ID coexist with Face ID?

Apple did study the same under-screen fingerprint technologies that some Android handset makers have already deployed in their smartphones. Optical and ultrasound fingerprint sensors were detailed in Apple’s patents longe before the iPhone X launched. In fact, we all thought the handset will have an under-screen sensor in the months before that preceded the phone’s launch. And rumors do say that Apple is considering under-screen fingerprint sensors for future iPhones, maybe as soon as iPhone 12. But we’re far from getting any confirmation.

Then again, Apple could figure out a way to make Face ID work when the wearer is using a face mask. But that’s really wishful thinking from this particular Face ID user who’s now forced to wear masks.

If anything, the COVID-19 pandemic showed that Apple is ready to adapt rapidly to what’s happening with the world. Apple has been quick to close stores, it came up with its own coronavirus screening app, and it started displaying COVID-19 testing locations in Maps. On top of that, it developed face shields for medical personnel and worked with Google on a life-saving ingenuity, the COVID-19 contact tracing app. Even the new unlock screen is proof of Apple adapting to the disease. If this virus threat is here to stay for a few years, then maybe Apple will make all the necessary changes to iPhone design to make it as convenient and secure to use as it is now.

Until then, we’ll just have to use passwords while wearing masks. Also, the iPhone SE is a great alternative solution to anyone looking for a new iPhone with fingerprint support.