Microsoft claims that its upcoming operating system, Windows 10X, will always update within 90 seconds, including download and reboot, which is incredibly fast for any OS, from macOS to iOS to Android, but for Windows even more so, it can take anywhere from a few minutes to 30 years to download and install the upgrade package (which, these days, probably screws up big time and messes up your PC).

Windows 10X is a new version of the Windows operating system designed to run on devices with multiple screens. Its user interface has been revamped to take into account the available display space, and features like the new Wonderbar (an interactive space that sits above the keyboard and facilitates multitasking and app control) have been added.

According to Microsoft, the dizzyingly fast updates stem from a new software architecture that separates the OS into different containers along with applications. These containers (essentially virtual machines) allow the OS to download and install patches in the background without affecting the user experience, and changes take effect only after a reboot.

As our sister site Techradar reports, the overall container architecture will not only bring rapid updates, but also stronger security: since the OS is completely independent of these application boxes, malicious or poor coding will not affect the main OS.

Also, emulation boxes, like virtual machines, allow apps designed to run on Windows 10 to run without problems on Windows 10X with a little tinkering. In theory, this would allow developers to quickly release updates to software programs that run on dual-screen devices. According to Microsoft, the container can run good old Win32 programs, MSIX software (a packaged format that wraps existing apps), and a new native program type called UWP (Universal Windows Platform).

The latter would theoretically bring the "develop once, deploy many" holy grail that many other companies have tried and failed to achieve in the past. Apple is also trying to do the same with iOS and macOS, and is attempting to integrate both worlds into one package through its Catalyst project. However, Microsoft has a clearer path and seems to offer more flexibility with regard to special form factors such as Neo.

We really can't wait to see all this new technology in action sometime in 2020. From the sound of it, it really feels like the future.