What Microsoft could unveil at its Surface event (and what it should do)

Now that Surface's revenues exceed $ 1 billion a quarter, we can finally say that Microsoft's gamble is a success. But where is the surface of here? Tomorrow, Microsoft will present its next wave of devices at a press rally in New York. We are waiting for late upgrades for the Laptop, Pro and Book Surface. But it is also the perfect opportunity for society to show something completely new. Now that Microsoft has proven that it can innovate, will it take even more risks?

Forget a traditional surface phone

If there is one thing we can exclude, for now, it is the Surface Phone, which has leaked a lot of ink. Although it would have been logical before Microsoft gave up Windows Phone (perhaps as a flagship product like Google Pixel), the company is increasingly focusing on the dominant mobile platforms, Android and iOS. Take a look at the Your Phone app, one of the most interesting new features of the October 10 update of Windows 10. It will allow you to access contacts, messages and even to share files between Android phones and Windows PCs. And on iOS, Microsoft will rely on Edge to share your browsing history with the Windows 10 timeline.

A dual-screen surface looks promising

The last batch of surface rumors indicate Andromeda, a dual-screen device that fits in a pocket, but can be used as a small tablet at the opening. Do not forget that Microsoft would have canceled a Surface Mini tablet the size of a pint a few weeks before its announcement. It was probably a wise decision, given the speed with which the small tablets died, the phones becoming larger and the large slates having lost weight. A dual-screen device could be a better version of the Surface Mini – something more portable than a large tablet, but also something very different from the competition. (It's not hard to imagine how a small foldable tablet could also handle some phone tasks.)

From what we saw at Computex this year, dual-screen devices are inevitable. ASUS introduced Project Precog and Lenovo unveiled its next generation of Yoga Book, a device with a traditional screen and an E-Ink display. ASUS claims that Precog will actually be available next year, and Lenovo has hinted that an upcoming Yoga Book will also feature two LCD screens. Even Intel had fun with its PC E-Ink concept. Of course, these are actually traditional computers without a physical keyboard, but it will be interesting to see what developers can create with two screens to use. ASUS, for example, introduced a two-player game that works on both screens.

You will not have a standard keyboard with a dual-screen PC, but you will still be able to connect them to a Bluetooth keyboard, as ASUS shows in its Precog demonstration. The absence of a decent keyboard would be even less of a problem for the Andromeda Surface because it is potentially small enough for the thumb type with a touch keyboard. (And there's always the Surface Go for touch typists.) This device would also offer a slight relief to the fans of the legendary Microsoft Courier project, which we talked about for the first time in 2010 (!). Mobile hardware has finally caught up with the ambition of this concept, so it looks like it's time for Microsoft to refresh it.

Things could become wilder