Microsoft is working on adapting Windows to work on foldable devices. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the software maker is making foldable devices and dual-screen hardware a big investment area for both Windows and Surface.
This investment includes adapting Windows itself and its many built-in apps to work across foldable displays and devices with dual screens.
While Microsoft has been experimenting with its own hardware with dual-screens, codenamed Andromeda, the company has also been working with Intel and other OEMs to be ready for the next few years of experimentation.
PC makers famously developed a range of 2-in-1 devices for Windows 8 more than five years ago, and we’re expecting to see a similar effort for dual-screen and foldable devices for Windows in the coming years.
Most of this work is related to Microsoft’s Composable Shell (C-Shell) and Windows Core OS, a more modular version of the existing Windows Shell that powers many parts of Windows 10 today.
The first Windows 10 build (rs_shell_devices_foldables) designed for foldable devices was spotted earlier this week, revealing that Microsoft has a dedicated team working on adapting its Windows shell for this new hardware.
Microsoft will face tough competition in the dual-screen and foldables devices market, though. Google has already pledged to natively support foldables to limit fragmentation, and Android has the advantage of a mobile platform for devices that attempt to switch from a phone form factor into a tablet one.
Foldable phones are already starting to appear, and 2019 is bound to see the beginning of a new battle to redefine phone, tablet, and laptop form factors.
