14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s Surface Andromeda device, also known as just Andromeda or as the Surface Phone, was expected to launch later this year with a new OS called Andromeda as well.
But according to a recent report, the project has been pushed back to 2019 because the software to power the device isn’t ready, with Microsoft said to even take into account a complete demise of the device. This means that Andromeda could be ditched before launching, technically having the same fate as other products like Surface Mini and Courier.
New info published by The Verge’s Tom Warren today reveals that Andromeda has been delayed because of the current state of the app ecosystem that the device was supposed to rely on to appeal to buyers.
“The entire project is now under consideration because there’s no app ecosystem to support it,” a tweet posted earlier today reads, once again confirming that the software side of the project is to blame for Andromeda not going live as fast as expected.
Dual-screen devices likely to launch anyway
On the other hand, there’s a chance that Andromeda-like devices do see daylight later this year, only that they’ll be powered by Windows 10.
Surface Andromeda was supposed to come with a dual-screen design supporting multiple form factors, including tablet, laptop, and digital notebook. All of them would be powered by the orientation of the screen, with Microsoft not planning to market the device as a phone, as many people hoped, but as the pioneer of a new product category.
This is an approach that Microsoft has used for other Surface models as well, including the original Surface RT that helped the company step into the 2-in-1 device world.
Andromeda could now see daylight in the spring of 2019 when the Windows 10 Redstone 6 update is finalized, though it’s important to keep in mind that the software giant could ditch the whole project at any moment without letting anyone know about it.