Microsoft's Lumia 950 runs Windows 10 Mobile and can connect to displays for a PC-like experience. Image: Raymond Wong/Mashable
A Surface-branded smartphone could be coming soon.
Reddit user nok4us[1] noticed Microsoft now owns surfacephone.com[2]; the URL redirects to the company's Surface website[3]. Microsoft also snat ched up surfacecar.com[4], although it's less likely that an actual Surface car is going to be announced any time soon.
While owning the domain isn't confirmation that a Surface Phone really is coming, the possibility of Microsoft releasing such a device isn't completely unrealistic.
Last December, Windows Central published a report[5] saying Microsoft had abandoned an Intel-powered Windows 10 Mobile phone and had switched gears to building a Surface phone for release in the second half of 2016.
Panos Panay, corporate vice president for Surface Computing at Microsoft, was reportedly put in charge of the Surface phone project. Who better to lead development on a Surface phone than the guy who gave us the excellent Surface Pros 3 and 4[6] and the Surface Book[7] convertible.
Consumers have shown little interest in Microsoft's Lumia-branded smartphones running Windows 10 Mobile. The Lumia 950 and 950 XL[8] are Microsoft's best smartphones, but Windows Phone and Windows 10 Mobile's biggest problem still remains: The app ecosystem is puny.
As we said in our Lumia 950 review[9], where are essential apps like full-featured versions of Instagram and Snapchat? A Surface phone won't fix Windows' apps problem, but it would at least give consumers hardware worth getting excited for.
With a worldwide mobile market share of only 1.7% as of Q3 2015, according to Gartner[10], Microsoft needs something huge to reverse the failure that was Windows Phone.
Though we don't have details on the Surface phone, outside of a tidbit that it may be powered by an Intel chip, Microsoft could provide more details at its upcoming Build 2016[11] developer conference at the end of March.
BONUS: Hands on with the Microsoft Lumia 950 XL
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References
- ^ user nok4us (www.reddit.com)
- ^ surfacephone.com (surfacephone.com)
- ^ Surface website (www.microsoft.com)
- ^ surfacecar.com (surfacecar.com)
- ^ published a report (www.windowscentral.com)
- ^ Surface Pros 3 and 4 (mashable.com)
- ^ Surface Book (mashable.com)
- ^ Lumia 950 and 950 XL (mashable.com)
- ^ Lumia 950 review (mashable.com)
- ^ Gartner (www.gartner.com)
- ^ Build 2016 (build.microsoft.com)
