Microsoft will not be releasing the Windows-powered Surface Neo this year, not will Windows 10X and its support for dual-screen devices be available for manufacturing partners.
Mary Jo Foley reported on the changes last week for ZDNet:
“My contacts say that Chief Product Officer Panos Panay informed some of his team internally today, April 8, that Microsoft wouldn’t be delivering its own Surface Neo dual-screen 10X devices this calendar year. In addition, Microsoft also won’t be enabling third-party dual-screen Windows devices to ship with 10X in calendar 2020, I hear.”
It’s not completely clear why Microsoft’s plans for dual screened devices from itself and its partners have been delayed, but the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and how the world is reacting to it will have played a large part of this.
Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer Panos Panay holds a Surface Duo, left, and Surface Neo at an … [+] event, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2019 in New York. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
In terms of hardware, the majority is manufactured in China. There are signs that this is returning to normal (and other manufacturers are going ahead with launches over the next few weeks, including Apple), but a guarantee of full production capability alongside the required lead ti