New Windows 10 preview: This 'tablet posture' experience for 2-in-1 PCs is back
Microsoft is taking another stab at improving the Windows 10 experience for convertible PCs when they're used as a tablet.
Microsoft's new Windows 10 preview build 19592 sees the return of its experimental 'tablet posture' improvements for convertibles when they're detached as a tablet or folded back.
Windows 10
It first tried the improvements out on Windows Insiders in 20H1 previews, offering users a way to stay in desktop-style mode but with adjustments to the interface to support touch, such as increased spacing between taskbar icons.
Microsoft only rolled it out to a portion of Windows insiders as an experiment but ended the test in a subsequent build.
"After some refinement, we're reintroducing it to Windows Insiders in this build and plan to deliver this experience to customers in a future Windows 10 update," said Brandon LeBlanc, a senior program manager on the Windows Insider Program.
There don't appear to be big changes from the original experiment. Taskbar icons are still spaced out and the search box on the taskbar is collapsed into an icon. The touch keyboard automatically appears when users tap a text field, while File explorer elements have more padding to support touch.
Taskbar icons are spaced out and the search box on the taskbar is collapsed into an icon.
Microsoft is rolling out the feature slowly, once again starting with a portion of testers who have never detached their keyboard before or those who have set tablet mode to 'Don't ask me and don't switch'.
LeBlanc notes that the tablet posture experiment is different to the Tablet Mode that's currently available.
Microsoft wants testers to give feedback about what it's like to use the 2-in-1 as a touch device without going into Tablet Mode.
This build also includes Microsoft's attempts to reduce the load created by the Windows Search indexer. When it is indexing files, it will avoid heavily indexing while a machine is in use.
LeBlanc said another optimization will "significantly limit the amount of times the service indexes your files for content that doesn't have an impact on search experiences, and gives you a better experience on Windows".