Surface Centaurus - Microsoft's new hope in the folding screen device market?

In the framework of Computex last 2019, Microsoft opened up information about a new interesting product, most likely to be the company's flagship "card" in the future. It is a device in an innovative dual-screen device, codenamed Surface Centaurus.

In fact, Microsoft has cherished and deployed this project for a long time, and the design of the product has also been refined many times compared to the original prototype. However, so far, the Surface Centaurus has never been officially introduced to the public by Microsoft, but almost only appears as a "hinted" statement, as well as in rumors and reports of several news sites. big technology.

Overall what we have known about Surface Centaurus so far is not much, basically it will be a 2-in-1 smart device, possessing an ambitious dual screen, and very much Microsoft will be released sooner than you think. So, how does the Surface Centaurus really be a product? How to own the design? And what does Microsoft want to send on this device? We will find out now.

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Sale price and official launch time

The current time is still too early to make an exact statement about the price for the Surface Centaurus. However, we can make a few small comparisons to make predictions about the selling price for this product.

Existing Surface notebooks from Microsoft have prices starting from around $ 900 to $ 1,000. Thus, the Surface Centaurus with the appearance of a second monitor, and a few other hardware enhancements (of course) will not cost less than 1000 USD. In addition, Centaurus is likely to be a compact product, so Microsoft can also try to bridge the gap between the affordable Surface Go model and the high-end Surface Pro.

In terms of release time, Microsoft did not give any official notice or suggestions about the date and time this product was officially released. However, rumors from some reputable sources suggest that Surface Centaurus may be released in the fall of 2019, just in time for the holiday shopping season, so you will most likely be able to own this product this year. If these hilltops are real, 'accumulate rice' from now on, still not late!

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A perfect blend of 'Andromeda' and 'Courier'

If you pay attention to the rumors about Microsoft for a while, you probably aren't familiar with the idea of ​​a dual-screen product of the giant Redmond.

A few years ago, Microsoft made technology lovers around the world stand still when publishing information about the 'Courier' project. Namely, a light computer model, which owns a rare dual screen at the time, but unfortunately this project was eventually canceled in silence. During that time, Microsoft also devoted a lot of effort to 'Andromeda', which aims to create a dual-screen model that is about the size of a regular smartphone or device. foldable.

However, after a while, Microsoft once again announced the suspension of the Andromeda project to focus on Centaurus, on the grounds that it would be easier to develop software for large screen devices, and worried that The real demand of the market for a product like Andromeda will not be high, especially in the context that smartphones are still dominating in the mobile device segment.

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When technology news site Windows Central first published the story of Centaurus in December 2018 and revealed that Microsoft has focused on investing in this project for a few years, a wave of surprise, shock and even suspicious or sweeping through a series of big technology forums. However, it is actually just a matter of Microsoft itself, when they actually find what they want to develop. And it seems that Redmond still wants to own a larger-sized dual-screen device in the large Surface family, designed specifically for business, creativity, and at the same time capable of delivering Fresh, or possibly a potential new business market for the company.

In fact Microsoft is not the only big guy interested in developing folding screen products. Samsung is determined to release the Galaxy Fold and they have initially achieved success after the previous big failures. Lenovo - Microsoft's direct competitor in the laptop / notebook market has even successfully developed its own version of a laptop-like device with a perfectly foldable display.

In the face of the success of its competitors, Microsoft cannot, of course, be able to "be on the same foot". So the launch of the Surface Centaurus commercial scale will only be a matter of time, and it will be the perfect blend of two projects that had failed Microsoft earlier: Folding screen and the right size. with optimal software support.

1. Turns out the Surface Phone, Microsoft's folded phone looks like this

The size will only be equivalent to a basic laptop

Although at the present time we cannot know for sure what the Surface Centaurus will exactly look like, but if it is expected, it seems to be bigger than Courier and Andromeda, so you can temporarily contact imagine something close to the size of a professional laptop or tablet.

Of course, it is not ruled out that there will be the appearance of a dual-screen Surface model. The head of Microsoft's Surface Development division, Panos Panay, did not mean to publicly express his interest in the idea of ​​a pocket-sized Surface product with full support functions needed.

However, Microsoft seems to have chosen a large device to become its flagship model, to make the benefits of dual screen use clear and accessible to more users.

Another information we can "boldly" assert, the Surface Centaurus will use the Surface Pen for common functions and drawing design. In addition, this product will most likely also have some touchscreen-based keyboards for common tasks, but this information will have to wait for confirmation from Microsoft for more details.

In recent times Microsoft has been working hard to improve the design of the hinge system on its Surface computer models to become more convenient, more user-friendly, and they have received a lot of praise from user community side. This may also be a sign that Centaurus will use the same hinge design.

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Designed to support specifically for Windows Lite

Reports from many major technology sites also indicate that Centaurus will work on the Windows Lite platform, also known as Windows Core OS. This can be considered a 'refined' version of Windows 10, more streamlined, a version that can fit many screen sizes and various form factor elements (including screens). folded picture).

Windows Core operating system is expected to have a little more control over the applications that users use regularly, and also possesses the ability to automatically align system usage according to the level of complexity. inclusion of each task. As many would expect, Microsoft wants this version of Windows to be its "trump card" in the mission to compete directly with rival platforms like the recently launched Chromebook and iPad Pro. A device like the Surface Centaurus seems to be a great catalyst for Microsoft to get closer to that goal.

Although Microsoft did not talk much about software at Computex this year. In fact, we've seen a version of this new operating system work on Surface Hub 2, but that's not enough. Perhaps we will have to wait until next year's events to get a chance to hear more from Microsoft about the Windows Lite platform as well as how it works on specific devices.

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Intel is still sticking to the market of folding screen devices

Intel, first of all, is also a manufacturer who is very interested in dual-screen devices - so much so that the company has repeatedly published its own views on dual monitors in the past, and is accumulating extreme investment for many different projects is also related to this new field.

The most recent dual-screen product Intel announced was probably the Tiger Rapids prototype, which was first displayed at the 2018 Computex. The device owns two screens, and can be folded as a notebook. convenient.

Not surprisingly, reports immediately said that Microsoft and Intel had teamed up in the Centaurus project and that the two-monitor computer model probably depends on Intel's technology in the way. Its basic operation.

2-screen laptop from Intel

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On the other hand, Intel certainly has a good reason to be involved in this project: The world's largest processor chip manufacturer is facing strong competition from ARM in certain areas, for example, in the professional mobile device market, and Intel certainly cannot sit still passively. Finding a partnership that can bring great success, along with another big name in a potential market, is the right step for Intel.

Above is all the information we have known about the Surface Centaurus project up to the present time. What do you think about this product as well as Microsoft's prospect in the folding screen device market? Please leave a comment on the comments below!