OCTOBER 2019 • TECH ADVISOR 115FEATUREQualcomm Snapdragon. Run an Android emulator on
top of it, and the performance requirements remain
minimal: BlueStack 4 requires just a fourth-gen Core
i5 for optimal performance. Intel’s Lakefield seems
like overkill, but we don’t know anything about
its performance, save for the fact that its big-little
architecture uses the same power-sipping design
techniques as ARM.
Microsoft obviously failed in the phone market.
Former chief executive Bill Gates recently admitted
to the failure of Windows Phone as his greatest
mistake. Microsoft’s ARM-powered Surface Go hasn’t
dramatically changed the world, either. What’s telling
about the Gates interview is that he admits that the lack
of apps was a critical element in Microsoft’s failure in
the mobile market. Android solves that problem.
There’s still a big question – if an Android emulator
is the key, why not just buy an Android phone? – but
Microsoft’s thought process on dual-display devices
may be becoming clearer. Maybe this will be the
Surface ‘phone’ that everyone expected.