Microsoft has been incredibly silent about the development of the Surface Phone, with the tech giant not even confirming the existence of the mobile device. Despite the lack of confirmation, however, patents about a mysterious mobile machine have been emerging every so often, suggesting that while Microsoft is silent about its next foray into the smartphone market, it has not fully abandoned its goal of becoming a major player in the mobile industry.
Over the past few months, news of patents have emerged about a foldable mobile device that Microsoft appears to be working on. Dubbed “Andromeda,” the machine looks like the spiritual successor to the never-released Microsoft Courier — a novel, dual-screened device that unfortunately never made it to the market. When patents of the Courier emerged, it looked like a machine that could have easily made a mark in the computing industry. Due to the challenges of the time, however, Microsoft opted out of the project’s development. Considering the apparent Surface Phone patents that have emerged thus far, it appears like Microsoft might be giving the Courier’s design another chance.
Just recently, Microsoft announced that it would be holding its Build Conference in Seattle, Washington, on May 7-9. During the event, the tech giant is expected to present several key developments and products that it has created and refined. This year, expectations are high that the company will discuss improvements to Windows 10, dubbed the Spring Creators Update, which briefly went online earlier this year before being pulled due to issues.
@zacbowden @h0x0d @windowscentral #Surface Andromeda Render according to the latest patents pic.twitter.com/CmbvlfETtU
— David Breyer (@D_Breyer) December 18, 2017
Microsoft’s Build Conference is also a venue where the company used to introduce new hardware to the public. Products such as the HoloLens headset were introduced and demoed extensively during the Build Conference in 2015, according to a report from The Express . With this in mind, and with the talks of the Surface Phone emerging once more, there is a chance that Microsoft can finally give a glimpse of the cryptic device to the public. Overall, Build 2018 just seems like an appropriate event where an announcement for the handset, or perhaps even a teaser of the Surface Phone, would be released.
For now, these remain as speculations. Nevertheless, the long build-up to the Surface Phone’s release, as well as the patents that have seemingly been emerging about the device, seem to indicate that after all these years, Microsoft’s latest entry into the mobile market could finally leave the realms of speculation.