Microsoft’s rumoured foldable Surface tablet known internally as ‘Andromeda’ won’t be arriving in 2018, according to new reports this week.
While a report confirmed the existence of the new form factor, last week, another well-connected Microsoft reporter has cast doubt on whether the device will ever arrive.
According to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft has gone “back to the drawing board” on the device with no release planned for this year, or at any time in the near future.
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Foley’s sources say the software components necessary to enable Andromeda will not be in the ‘Redstone 5’ Windows 10 update release due this autumn. There’s no assurances those features will land within Redstone 6 next spring either, those contacts say.
Does this mean Microsoft has given up on the idea of a groundbreaking pocket-friendly folding tablet? “Not entirely,” the sources say. Foley writes:
“Andromeda or its successor could still end up coming to market at some point and attempt to fulfill Andromeda’s original goal: A portable, multi-screen Windows-10-based device. But if that happens, expect something more akin to a small foldable PC type form factor than a phone-sized device, sources say. And something that will run Win32 apps, not just Univeral Windows Platform (UWP)/Microsoft Store ones.”
The report says Microsoft may eventually bringing a successor to the existing internal design, leaked extensively in recent months. Foley floats the idea those leaks may be an effort to save the project from cancellation by a Microsoft insider passionate about the potential.
Today’s update comes following the cancellation of the Surface Mini, another effort to expand upon the success of the Surface line with a more portable form factor.
Would you buy the Andromeda tablet if it ever came to market? Is Microsoft right to be cautious here after previous efforts to diversify away from core devices? Would you like to see the firm take more risks? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
