OK Microsoft: stop teasing us about the Microsoft Surface Phone!
Microsoft Surface Phone: is it happening? Is it not happening? While reason and logic tells us the latter, it seems that Twitter user Evan Blass is hinting at the possibility that the fantomatic handset may be “...more than just a concept...”.
Not much is known about the photos posted by Blass, in particular about where they originated. Some of the images seem to be merely concept renderings superimposed on stock photographs, such as the one featuring what appears to be a laptop with an extremely flat, featureless keyboard.
With that said, in the event that these images are indeed test renderings from Microsoft, any hope for an actual handset to go into production would be nothing short of a moonshot, considering that Microsoft’s mobile footprint is barely 1% of a market predominantly dominated by iOS and Android devices.
This, however doesn’t necessarily mean that Microsoft has no longer a stake in mobile devices. It merely means that it’s unlikely that Microsoft mobile strategy will include smartphones, especially in a market so heavily saturated by Android and iPhones handsets.
As a matter of fact, according to Terry Myerson, who was recently interviewed by ZDNet, while we may never get a Surface Phone, Microsoft is currently working on implementing technologies that will tie into Windows 10 Mobile, into next-generation devices, of which we still have no information about, except for the fact that they will most definitely run on ARM chipsets, and will use cellular connectivity for data transfer and various forms of communication.
A small hint may come from the world of wearable devices, which is a market in constant flux, with major players like Apple pouring massive resources into marketing devices that consumers are still trying to place into their personal workflow.
Smartwatches, within the scope of Myerson’s, still cryptic, premise, may very well be the tip of a massive iceberg, encompassing mobile devices that could include AR/VR technology, as well as features capable of interacting with other desktop and portable devices within the Surface family and beyond, in a similar way at to what Apple has been doing in regard to letting Apple Watch and macOS interact to allow for instant unlocking of the desktop operating system upon proximity.
Microsoft has talked extensively about its agenda in regard to VR and AR, but very little about its mobile strategy. One thing is certain, however, and that is Microsoft’s focus on creative professionals, which is expected to encompass many kinds of devices we have yet to discover.
Ready to shop?
If you are looking for the ultimate Windows 10 tablet, PortableOne has the best deals on Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4, as well as a full range of accessories.