The Surface Neo and Surface Duo were announced by Microsoft in 2019, with the company leaving a long lead time up until a Holiday 2020 release. New reports have revealed Microsoft is now expected to delay the Windows 10X-sporting Surface Neo beyond 2020.
Microsoft’s new dual-screen future has been expected to be coming at the end of 2020 for some time now but it now seems like the Surface Neo, along with third-party Windows 10X dual-screen devices, won’t be out until at least 2021.
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According to ZDNet, Chief Product Officer Panos Panay recently told staff internally that the Surface Neo would no longer be released in 2020. Along with delaying its own device, Microsoft is also set to delay enabling Windows 10X for use with third-party dual-screen machines.
The company is, instead, planning to get Windows 10X ready for release on single-screen devices initially.
Those excited for Microsoft’s upcoming swing at a dual-screen Android phone don’t need to be worried about a delay just yet. Thus far, the Surface Duo plans remain the same and on course for its Holiday 2020 release date.
Windows 10X initially emerged as the company’s new OS aimed primarily at facilitating dual-screen devices but this most recent most shows it could be a sea-change for all Windows machines. Ahead of the full release of Windows 10X, it also seems like we could see some of these new features crop up on regular ol’ Windows 10 in advance.
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Back in February, Microsoft hinted that delays could be on the way, saying:
“Although we see strong Windows demand in line with our expectations, the supply chain is returning to normal operations at a slower pace than anticipated … As a result, for the third quarter of fiscal year 2020, we do not expect to meet our More Personal Computing segment guidance as Windows OEM and Surface are more negatively impacted than previously anticipated.”
It was also in February when Microsoft touted than Windows 10X updates on the Surface Neo would take less than 90 seconds to complete – that’s surely music to the ears to those who have had to deal with seemingly endless pesky Windows updates for many years.
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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.
Professional conduct
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.