2016 was a great year for Microsoft, in large part because of the success of its Surface products. But the public's attention has transferred to the upcoming Surface Phone, of which there is very confirmed details. But while several leaks point to a powerful handheld device, filled to the brim with all the best specs currently available, there is one thing that the Redmond-based company must overcome in order to further its success - Windows 10 Mobile.
As Learn Bonds reports, the Surface Phone will be a powerful device, one that is likely to blow away the competition. The publication goes as far as to say that it will be like holding a full-fledged PC in your hands. And the concept of this is not hard to grasp, as the Surface line has really made a name for itself by producing and introducing hybrid devices to the market.
The public has therefore come to expect nothing short of a monster device in the form of the Surface Phone. The handheld is estimated to arrive with desktop-like processing power and efficiency - but in the shape and size of a standard smartphone. The publication warns that the first generation of the handheld may not work to standards, but Microsoft has promised that it is working around the clock to produce a winner.
Being a Microsoft handheld, it is naturally expected that the Surface Phone will run on the most modern version of Windows 10 Mobile operating system. The trouble is, Windows 10 is not a popular OS for a reason, some of which were relaid to Neowin by NuAns president Tetsushi Hoshikawa. The company is responsible for the Neo, which is a handheld that runs on the OS in question.
The publication discusses how the Neo was the first attempt of incorporating Windows 10 to a product of NuAns. And no matter how questionable this move was, it was generally perceived that the Universal Windows Platform would push the device forward. Unfortunately, the thing did not go as planned.
Microsoft failed to deliver on its promise to upgrade all handhelds that were then running on Windows Phone 8.1 to Windows 10 Mobile. The publication even claims that users have, until this day, not received a notification for the upgrade. And because of this slow roll out, there are only a handful of mobiles that actually do run on Windows 10.
Nevertheless, NuAns continued to sell the Neo in Japan and even began a Kickstarter campaign to bring the same to the United States. The fundraising tactic was meant to gauge just how popular the device would be and the results failed to meet targets. Hoshikawa made it no secret that he was disappointed with how the Neo held up in the market, particularly because be believed that Windows 10 would be more popular than it is.
However, there is some light at the end of the tunnel, especially if the Elite x3 from HP is to be taken into consideration. The device, which does run on Windows 10, arguably works as close to a PC as any other product in the market. And as the unit has been generally well received, there is definite hope for the Surface Phone.
