14 DAY TRIAL // There’s no doubt that today’s Windows 10 event will witness the unveiling of quite a lot of exciting features for desktops, tablets, and smartphones, but it appears that Microsoft has also prepared a little bit of something for those looking for new hardware as well.
Rumor has it that, in addition to information on Windows 10, Windows Phone 10, Spartan browser, and PC gaming, Microsoft also plans to publicly talk about what could be its very first phone-laptop hybrid device, a project which would give the software giant a new chance to expand in the hardware industry.
Microsoft is continuously looking to innovate, and after becoming the first company to tackle the laptop industry with a tablet (see the Surface models), Redmond is now planning to go all-in on a new device that would combine the best of two worlds: phones and laptops.
It could be powered by the new Windows Phone platform
Details are obviously very scarce right now and Microsoft doesn’t wish to comment on any rumor, so it was really hard to collect more info on this.
It appears, however, that the phone-laptop hybrid that Microsoft is currently working on could be powered by a new platform specifically designed for smartphones and ARM and Intel-based tablets.
The launch of Windows Phone 10 would basically mean the death of Windows RT, as Microsoft is working to make its smartphone platform the foundation of tablets as well. The resulting OS, which could be either called Windows 10 Mobile or Windows 10 for Phones, is expected to replace Windows RT and power all devices with displays smaller than 10 inches, sources have told us.
As a result, the new phone-laptop hybrid could be powered by the very same Windows Phone-based platform, so expect it to come with a touchscreen and rely mostly on the Modern UI, so the desktop might not be offered at all.
The biggest enigma right now is the implementation of this concept. A phone cannot really be used as a laptop and a laptop cannot be used as a phone, mostly because of their dimensions.
At the same time, a laptop with a small screen, which would also act as a phone’s display, would be barely usable, so there’s no doubt that, if these rumors are real, Microsoft is again betting on a very risky project that might fail to impress.
Obviously, pricing is also critical for such a project, and given the fact that Surface tablets are generally considered really expensive, it’s hard to believe that a phone-laptop hybrid could be affordable and give people the chance to try it out without spending too much money on it.
Overall, it will be really interesting to see how this one goes, but let’s just wait and see if Microsoft indeed spills the beans on this project later today or remains tight-lipped until more work is done.