Microsoft Surface Phone Rumors: Possible Release Delayed to 2018 or Later; Another 2017 Phone Likely
Unconfirmed sources have suggested that while the Microsoft Surface Phone is still in the works, the company could have decided to unveil the rumored device at a much later time, and would instead launch another phone this year to test the waters.
The idea of the Microsoft Surface Phone is still very much a figment of imagination spurred by rumors for most industry observers, and aside from a select few who could be working in some capacity to design and test the concept phone, few sources have anything concrete with regard to the possible release date of the device, or whether it is in active development as of this time.
For these and other reasons, it's somewhat complicated to determine if a report like the one released by Windows United earlier can reliably predict the upcoming release date for the elusive Surface Phone. According to the report, the company looks to be taking the Surface Phone off the table for this year, and will be releasing a Windows Mobile device instead.
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This report neatly coincides with a Reddit post made at the same day by an anonymous source going by the user name of zombieacc. The source, who claims to be a contractor who has worked with Microsoft, gave similar information that a new phone will be released by the company this year, and it won't be the highly anticipated Surface Phone.
According to Windows United's sources, the 2017 device will include the first few features of the Composable Shell or CSHELL adaptive user interface, but it would only be able to run apps from the Windows Store. The article speculates that this Surface Phone precursor, if it could be called such, could be useful for the Redmond-based company as an initial release to gauge the market reaction to the new user interface. The company can then use what they learn to ensure that the real Surface Phone, which is taking their time to develop, will be perfect at launch to put it in the best position to take over the mobile device market.
