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Waiting for Neo
May10, 2020

Microsoft’s promised Surface Neo dual screen Windows tablet is on hold, as Windows 10X grows in importance:

• The new Windows 10X, originally announced as being designed for dual-screen devices like the Neo, will now be focused on "single-screen" devices. And that shift implies dual-screens can wait while Microsoft brings what Windows 10X offers to single-screens running Windows 10. That is, about a billion PCs.
• Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer Panos Panay revealed in a blog post that the company will now “look for the right moment” to release dual-screen devices, shelving the Surface Neo for the foreseeable future, and moving Windows 10X to “single-screens”.
• Windows 10X was announced as showing a more modern, simplified Windows interface, although with limited detail.

 
 
Figure 1: Microsoft’s Surface Neo Dual Screen Windows Tablet

Source: Company

 
This seems to be Panay’s first (big) decision since he was promoted to lead both Windows and Devices this year, from previously being the Surface hardware chief.

• It may be that Panay saw Windows (Core) needed proper care and attention that Windows 10X can provide, and dual-screens can wait.
• “The world is a very different place than it was last October when we shared our vision for a new category of dual-screen Windows devices … Our customers are leveraging the power of the cloud more than ever, and we believe the time is right to lean into this acceleration in a different way,” wrote Panay.
• “With Windows 10X, we designed for flexibility, and that flexibility has enabled us to pivot our focus toward single-screen Windows 10X devices that leverage the power of the cloud to help our customers work, learn and play in new ways. 
• “These single-screen devices will be the first expression of Windows 10X that we deliver to our customers, and we will continue to look for the right moment, in conjunction with our OEM partners, to bring dual-screen devices to market.”
• And here’s a number for you: “Over 4 trillion minutes are being spent on Windows 10 a month, a 75% increase year on year.”
• That’s 133 billion minutes a day on Windows 10, which is reportedly about one billion PCs, and about 70% of the PC market. So, just over two hours a day on a PC?