We saw our fair share of dual-screen phones at the Mobile World Congress (MWC19) in February. While Microsoft didn’t show off any new smartphone tech, it appears they might be eyeing a completely different segment. According to sources close to The Verge, the company has its eye on dual-screen tech, but for laptops.
When the Samsung Galaxy Fold and The Huawei Mate X stole the show last week at MWC 2019 with their price tag and features, no one was thinking about applications for the tech outside of smartphones.
But now there are reports to suggest that Microsoft is making a dual-screen laptop. This is a throwback to their secret project that lasted from 2008 to 2011, code-named “Courier.” The concept was fairly simple – it looks and works like a notebook you would use for your college courses, but it also had a touchscreen and stylus.
Microsoft had only discussed the project behind closed doors until they officially scrapped it in 2011.
But it appears that the company is now looking to revisit the ambitious project with the intention of putting a “lighter” version of Windows 10 on the system. Aptly named “Windows Lite,” the OS will offer select features from the desktop version.
It seems that with this latest endeavor, Microsoft is looking to compete alongside Google’s Chromebook line. These laptops run a custom version of Google Android named Chrome OS.
While this news originates from an anonymous source who spoke to The Verge, we suspect customers might see an announcement or tease at the upcoming Microsoft Build conference in May.
It seems that Courier was an idea ahead of its time. With modern technology making tech more accessible and touchscreens the standard, there is definitely room for Microsoft to compete against Google.
Muhammad Abdullah
Areen Zahra
