Microsoft began work on what would eventually become Windows Core OS (WCOS,) a modern and legacy-free Windows foundation that is modular and easily adaptable to new and existing device form factors. A version of Windows like this didn't exist at the time, so Microsoft needed to build it. Microsoft wanted the best of both worlds, a lightweight and legacy-free OS experience found on Windows 10 Mobile, paired with the versatility and feature-rich nature of Windows 10 desktop, something especially important for Microsoft's Continuum plans on Andromeda. The existing version of Windows 10 was and is not optimized for pocketable devices, and Windows 10 Mobile wasn't adaptable enough or where Microsoft needed it to be for a dual-screen form factor. It became apparent rather quickly that Microsoft needed to build a new, modern version of Windows to fully realize its vision for this device. It was decided early on that Andromeda was not going to be powered by an Intel processor, opting for an ARM chip instead. Microsoft started development on the Andromeda project with the mindset that it was going to be a Windows device. Work on Microsoft's dual-screen phone started picking up steam in early 2016, under the codename Andromeda. Today, I want to detail that journey and talk about what this device would be like had it shipped with Windows back in 2018. Everything from the shape, size, processor, market positioning, and the operating system would be different by the time the product was publicly announced in October 2019. The dummy prototype hardware featured a more traditional smartphone shape housed in a thin metal chassis with pen support, and I'm told they called this early prototype idea the "Surface Pocket." It appears the powers that be at Microsoft liked the idea, and work began on what would eventually become the Surface Duo soon after.Ī lot would change between those early concept ideas and the final product. In these early internal concepts, Microsoft showcased an adaptable UI that would switch between mobile and desktop experiences when moving between single-screen, dual-screen, and a large external display. Around this time, Microsoft had started conceptualizing the idea of a ( possibly Intel powered) dual-screen pocketable Surface running what would eventually become Windows 10.
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