14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft might have pushed back Surface Andromeda, but the company is still working on a project, and living proof is a recently-discovered application that hints at iMessage-like functionality.
Gustave M. has recently come across a so-called Microsoft Chat app that’s believed to be developed for Surface Andromeda, though for the time being, very little is known about it.
By the looks of things, Microsoft’s Chat app is developed more or less like Apple’s iMessage, being able to send messages using both cellular and Wi-Fi. There are read receipts and possibly other functionality that could be easily expanded at a later time with stickers and similar features.
Microsoft Chat isn’t publicly available right now, and if it ever sees daylight, there’s a chance this happens on Andromeda, obviously if this device itself gets the green light.
Possible launch next year
Surface Andromeda is now expected to launch at some point throughout 2019, and Microsoft is reportedly planning to unveil it either in the spring of the next year or in the fall. At this point, most of the work is aimed at the software side of the project, which hasn’t met Microsoft’s standard, and could be finalized when Windows 10 Redstone 6 is completed.
Very important to know is that Surface Andromeda isn’t supposed to be a rival to Apple’s iPhone, despite possibly featuring iMessage-like functionality.
Instead, Andromeda is more likely to be positioned as an enterprise device specifically, with a dual-screen design that would support multiple form factors with easy transition from one mode to another. Andromeda could thus convert from laptop to tablet and digital notebook easily, all thanks to the two screens and the hinge that connects them.
It remains to be seen if both Andromeda and Microsoft Chat reach the production stage at some point in the future, so for the time being, they remain just work in progress without a confirmed ETA.