Microsoft might not release the dual-screen Surface Neo tablet and the associated Windows 10X OS in 2020, ZDNet report, the result of both the coronavirus affecting China-bases supply chains and a refocusing of efforts from the company.
According to connected journalist Mary Jo Foley, Chief Product Officer Panos Panay internally informed "some" of his team Microsoft will not only not deliver own Surface Neo dual-screen 10X devices in the calendar year, it will also not allow 3rd party dual-screen device running on the Windows variant to ship in 2020. Currently, the report adds, the priority is to get Windows 10X on single-screen devices first, turning it into something of a Chrome OS rival in the process.
Interestingly, the company appears to be still working on its take on dual-screen Android smartphones, the Surface Duo, and is still set on a Q4 2020 release date. Microsoft started rolling out developer tools for the device in January 2020, and just this month Panay shared a photo taken with the Surface Duo on Instagram.
First revealed in 2019, the Surface Neo features two 9-inch displays held together by a 360-degree full-friction hinge. It promises a "true PC" experience with a removable keyboard and the aforementioned Windows 10X, an "expression" of Windows 10 optimised for dual-screen devices. That said, we will now have to wait until 2021 to test whether the device will succeed in such aims.
Go Microsoft: Don't Expect Any Windows 10X Devices this Calendar Year (ZDNet)
