Microsoft Foldable Surface Tip Sounds Too Good To Be True

You know what they say, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. That's not going to stop techies and geeks from wishing it were indeed true. Ever since the Courier project, Microsoft has been rumored to be working on or at least playing with the idea of a dual screen or even foldable device. Those rumors have ramped up in recent years thanks to foldable phones and a few sightings in code. Now we're hearing second-hand word from supply chain sources claiming it's close to becoming a reality and the details could make fans of the idea drool.

As if it weren't difficult enough to make a foldable phone, IHS Markit, a London-based "source of critical information", claims that supply chain information point to a foldable Surface that will have the equivalent of two 9-inch screens side by side. That would almost be the equivalent of two iPad minis side-by-side including their big bezels.

The news of a foldable Surface isn't exactly new and patents and renders have gone around trying to depict what it would look like. Lenovo recently showed a prototype of a foldable Thinkpad that is very close to a "true" foldable screen device.

IHS Markit's sources, however, also paint an interesting picture of the device's hardware and software capabilities. For example, it will be running on Intel's much-delayed 10 nm processor, which isn't due until later this year. It will run Windows Core OS (WCOS) but will also support running Android apps. It will also have always-on connectivity, be it LTE or 5G.

Those sources claim all that will land in the first quarter or first half of 2020. That almost seems like too generous an estimate, given how foldable screens still face a major problem.