At the beginning of June it was revealed that Microsoft’s next Surface device codename Centaurus could be a dual-screen device. But the big update news is that this Surface could be a folding device.
Rumors about a dual-screen tablet have been circulating since last year, and the company reportedly showed a similar device to employees earlier this month. Now, market research firm IHS Markit told Forbes that the device will be ready sometime in the first six months of 2020, and it’s expected to run both Android apps and Apple’s iCloud.
The report that the new Surface could be folding comes from Forbes, citing IHS Markit’s Associate Director of Consumer Electronics, Jeff Lin, in saying that “supply chain info” was the giveaway. The Centaurus would feature two 9-inch screens with 4:3 aspect ratios.
The critical take-away from this is, however, is that the forthcoming next-gen Windows operating system – Windows Core OS, or WCOS – is said to support dual screen displays in a dynamic fashion, with the Surface being Microsoft’s flagship device to show this off in best possible fashion.
According to IHS Markit claims this device will come with Intel’s 10-nanometer Lakefield processor. It’s also expected to have always-on connectivity via LTE or 5G. We don’t know how much the dual-screen tablet could cost, or if it will be capable enough to win over early adopters. But other companies are definitely interested in building dual-screen devices, so it’s not surprising to see Microsoft get involved as well.
