It has been rumored for a while now that Microsoft is working on a dual-display device which will be introduced under the Surface brand. A recent report had even suggested that the company had displayed a prototype of this device to employees. A new report claims that this unnamed device will have two 9 inch displays with 4:3 aspect ratio and that it will be capable of running Android apps.
The report claims that this device, codenamed Centaurus, will be able to run Android apps as that will be supported by Microsoft’s new Windows Core OS (WCOS) operating system. WCOS is essentially the platform for a more lightweight version of Windows OS. It’s this operating system that’s known as Windows Lite internally which will be used for dual-screen devices and competitors for Chromebooks.
It will certainly be surprising if Microsoft decides to add support for Android apps. However, the company would need to create its own app store to distribute them and it will also have to convince developers to tweak their apps so that they work without Google Play Services.
These predictions come from IHS Markit which cites information from the supply chain. It also claims that Microsoft could release this dual-screen Surface device in the first quarter or in the first half of next year.