Apple MacBook is spotted running Windows 10X

(Image credit: @imbushuo)

Windows 10X has been installed and successfully run on an Apple MacBook by a developer who shared the details on Twitter.

As spotted by Windows Latest, @imbushuo pulled off this feat, with Microsoft’s incoming new spin on Windows 10 apparently running surprisingly well on the Apple laptop.

MacBook9,1 pic.twitter.com/rfB5g9Mz1nFebruary 13, 2020

The developer installed the version of Windows 10X Emulator that Microsoft recently made available to devs, so that they can test out their applications, and begin optimizing them for the new OS well ahead of release.

If you thought that Windows 10X was just meant for dual-screen devices like Surface Neo, while that’s certainly Microsoft’s intention initially, leaked documentation has previously revealed that there are plans for the operating system to come to traditional (clamshell) laptops in the future.

Driver support

So it’s certainly interesting to see it already running on a MacBook, no less. The developer notes that most drivers are usable from the get-go, including the touchpad, and gestures on that input device even function correctly.

In another tweet, the dev made some further clarifications about how the installation worked.

I want to make some clarification on the installation: aside from copying the OSPool partition of the emulator image to the real disk and injecting drivers, this involves some tricks that will make the image ultimately unserviceable (because Apple hardware is odd) https://t.co/shYX8avKpPFebruary 13, 2020

Another developer also posted on Twitter showing Windows 10X running on a Lenovo ThinkPad T480s, albeit with some interface glitches as explained.

Windows 10X on T480s. Don't mind the UI flaws, the emulator image has some odd configuration packages installed. pic.twitter.com/TVnckgskYFFebruary 12, 2020

The latest buzz on the grapevine is that Windows 10X might be on track for release towards the end of 2020. We also recently heard that the OS could be looking to seriously improve on Windows 10’s voice capabilities, and will introduce dynamic wallpaper to boot.

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Darren is a freelancer writing news and features for TechRadar (and occasionally T3) across a broad range of computing topics including CPUs, GPUs, various other hardware, VPNs, antivirus and more. He has written about tech for the best part of three decades, and writes books in his spare time (his debut novel - 'I Know What You Did Last Supper' - was published by Hachette UK in 2013).