The End is Nigh…

Once again, Microsoft appears to be stopping development on a product line. This time it’s the Surface Duo line of products.

Truth to tell, from day one Microsoft has made a series of missteps with the Surface Duo. First, they shipped the original Surface Duo in September 2020 with the software in an unfinished state – full of bugs. Unsurprisingly, the initial reviews in the Tech press were pretty damning, which put a damper on the product right from the start. Secondly, Microsoft never really advertised the device to the general consumer – it was positioned purely as a device for Business users.

The Surface Duo 2, which followed a year later, was a much improved device, with a better camera, battery life and performance.

Both models have two touchscreens and open like a book to expose them. Unlike a book, the devices can be fully folded back to put the touchscreens on the outside and assume a smartphone form factor.

I bought a Surface Duo 2 for myself, replacing my Nokia Smartphone. Because the Duo supports the Microsoft digital pens, it became my digital Moleskine notebook as well as the camera that I have with me at all times. I love the device for its flexibility and solid support for multitasking – I can be browsing the web on one screen while taking notes on the other.

When people see me using it, they are always curious about what it is – no-one has ever said “oh, you have a Surface Duo” – which speaks volumes about the results of Microsoft’s “marketing” of the device. The usual reaction on being told it is a Microsoft device is “I had no idea that Microsoft made something like that”.

And now it appears that the Surface Duo line is headed for the same scrapheap that has seen so many products from Microsoft before: Windows Phone, the Kin phone, Zune, Windows Home Server, Kinect, Microsoft Band, Microsoft Mice, Keyboards and Webcams…

Oh well, I’ll continue to use my Duo 2 for as long as it lasts – it’s a unique device with a unique experience that matches my needs. There’s nothing else quite like it.