With the Creators Update just around the corner and a marked advance in incremental update mechanics, Windows 10 is beginning to reveal details about its future. Something that has caught the attention of the tech press in recent days is Project NEON, an update to the Windows 10 interface that aims for a return to elements like animations, transparencies, the blur effect on background content, and clearer fonts.
When Microsoft bombarded us with transparencies and animations in Windows Vista, many computers suffered. The so-called “Aero interface” reached its ideal point after the debut of Windows 7, but after so much time and effort invested in its implementation, Redmond decided to set it aside. We all know how the “experiment” that was the Windows 8 interface turned out. The adjustments received by Windows 8.1 and the current Windows 10 interface fixed many problems, but the feeling still lingers that the operating system suffers from a personality crisis. The first major updates to Windows 10 have prioritized bug fixes and new features, but one thing that has stayed off the radar until now is the introduction of changes to its appearance. That situation could change with Project NEON.
The Details of Project NEON
It’s a bit complicated to describe Project NEON due to the limited amount of material circulating. The exclusive belongs to the folks at MSPowerUser, and on that site they explain that NEON wouldn’t be a large-scale standalone update, but rather a more focused one. The feeling is that NEON aims for a mix between Aero and what the old Zune interface was. The main component of NEON is “Acrylic”, a blur effect for the background, the sidebar, and the navigation region. Acrylic, combined with other technologies like Conscious UI and Connected Animations (which can already be partially seen in the Groove Music app), seeks to improve the user’s focus on the content in front of them and reduce any potential distractions in the periphery.
Another thing we can interpret from NEON is its challenge to the minimalism that Microsoft has applied to interfaces in recent times. And as expected, there will be special attention to everything related to 3D elements and HoloLens interaction. When would NEON arrive on the desktop? Several arrows point to Redstone 3, the update after the Creators Update that we’ll receive in April. But Microsoft is in no hurry, and everything could change in a few months. We’ll be watching.
MSPowerUser
