Microsoft returns with smartphone after high-profile flops

The Surface line has been very successful for Microsoft - thanks to it, MS is now Top-5 PC manufacturer in the US. The pace of change in MS seems to be accelerating to Warp 9. If someone had told me a couple years ago that we will see Microsoft overcoming Apple as the most valued company, I would have never believed it.

Btw, here's one of the very first easy tweaks I do with Win10 devices:

"How To Postpone Windows 10 Feature Updates (but not affect Security Updates)"

https://winaero.com/blog/delay-windows-10-october-2018-1809/

Essentially in simple terms, you're turning your Win10 device from the Consumer Branch into the Business Branch (business devices tend to get updated last because they can't afford to go down due to early bugs)

These new foldable Surface are the result of the long-rumored MS Andromeda project, with patent leaks stretching for many years:

https://www.thurrott.com/windows/142653/microsofts-andromeda-folio-future

But the Surface Duo smartphone won't be running Win10 though - it'll be running Android. Android has basically become Microsoft's mobile OS - they even have a Launcher that makes Android look like the old Windows Mobile:

"How Microsoft is turning Android into the mobile OS for Windows users"

https://www.windowscentral.com/microsoft-turning-android-phone-windows

Meanwhile, a decade after the MS Courier project, the Surface Neo dual-screen PC will be running Win10X (can we call it "Ten-Ten" lol) - basically Windows Lite that's only for dual-screen devices:

https://www.theverge.com/2019/10/2/20887395/microsoft-surface-neo-dual-screen-concept-design-windows-10x

With the optional magnetic Bluetooth keyboard that can work either on top of one of the 2 screens, or like a regular separate wireless keyboard

This is less of a cart-before-horse and more of a chicken-and-egg scenario. In order to have great hardware, you need great software. But without a stable supply of great hardware, developers have no incentive to build software for it.

I would hazard to suggest this is why Microsoft made a couple of key decisions:

They announced it a year before launch so developers had time to create software for it.

Surface Neo runs on Intel, so developers won’t have to pull double duty figuring out both their apps overall design and how to port to ARM in the same year.

Surface Duo is built for Android, so its already compatible with Android apps and benefits from the foundations laid by Google’s (and Samsung’s) work on Android support for Foldables

Most of the focus was on simply having two apps open at the same time, which is something Windows already excels at.

The primary example of a single app spanned across both displays was Outlook, which already has a relatively clean divide in its UI – a paradigm other programs could probably use as well.

@Nobnaga

It's funny you said that you're not too knowledgeable on computers, because Windows 10 is supposed to be "the easiest version of Windows".

That's, of course, until your computer decides to download an update by itself, slow the computer down to a crawl (not being able to do even the most basic of things), then forcefully install it in shutdown/start.

Then you'll have to fix everything the update broke (phones not being recognized when connected through USB, music sounding like it's from a cheap Chinese speaker, even the start button not working, these are very few of the problems I've had to deal with).

I've been using Windows computers since WinXP. Vista, despite the bad rep, basically only needed a powerful PC to run, and it'd run great. Even 8 and 8.1 run great, despite the weird Start UI.

Needless to say, for the first time in damn near 20 years, I think I'll be getting a tablet this time. An iPad or an Android based one. At least it'll work.

Why can't they make a smartphone the size of a tablet - a phablet- nowadays? I use mine for reading, movies, and googling all the time. Rather just have one device. Same reason I don't have a separate mp3 player anymore.

They look sleek, like all of Surface devices, but with Windows 10 running under the hood... No thanks. Windows was never known to be bug-free or working perfectly out of the box, but they took it to another level with 10. Thing is atrocious. Inconsistent aesthetically, most of the apps are barely half baked, lags all the damn time, etc etc.

they should just keep making windows Microsoft a better program than having to put themselves in a market where they can't even compete with other brands, i don't understand why they keep making those awful devices ???

those earbuds look terrible

Another High profile flop.

$249 Surface Earbuds? No thanks.