OCTOBER 2019 • TECH ADVISOR 113FEATUREIHS Markit told Forbes that the dual-screen device,
with two 9in displays, would be powered by Intel’s
10nm Lakefield system-on-a-chip. Microsoft’s new
Windows Core OS (WCOS) will serve as the operating
system, IHS added. (Microsoft hasn’t confirmed that it’s
necessarily working on a future successor to Windows,
but we know that devices like the Surface Hub 2 will
include new ‘experiences’, said to be WCOS.) IHS also
said the device would include 5G WWAN connectivity.
While that itself would not be surprising, Microsoft
has yet to design a Surface that has made LTE or 5G
connectivity part of the base platform.
Assuming IHS Markit’s report is correct, the new
element would be the inclusion of an Android emulator.
(Microsoft hasn’t yet commented, and we wouldn’t
expectthemto;IHSMarkitalsohasn’tresponded to
arequest for further comment.)
SeveralAndroidemulatorsalreadyexistfor
Windows PCs. BlueStacks is a favourite, though
KoPlayer,MeMu,andothersallprovidealternatives.
Allthree run within a virtual machine within Windows,
just like Windows Sandbox.
A Surface for consuming content?
When word of ‘Centaurus’, er, surfaced before, we
wondered if potential buyers would really want to work
on a dual-screen device, given the lack of a proper
keyboard. It’s possible, however, that Microsoft sees
Centaurus more akin to a traditional smartphone: much
more of a pocket computer than a traditional phone,
and much more of a content-consumption platform
than a traditional Surface. Though Microsoft Office