I like gadgets as much as the next geek. And ever since Microsoft announced the Surface Duo last year, I have been experimenting with dual screens and side by side apps whenever possible to determine if this new device made any sense for the way I use computers. Now, the Duo is up for preorder and will be shipping in about a month from now. Here is what I learned from my various efforts:

Not everything works in dual-screen mode

I feel like the iPad is a good testbed for using side by side apps. Apple has a mode dedicated to using two apps side by side. This split-screen mode is the closest analog to what Microsoft is releasing. Obviously, the iPad will not fold and go in a pocket. All I wanted to do was simulate the experience of having two apps onscreen at the same time.

One of the first things I noticed is that not all apps will work in split-screen mode. Settings is a prime example. Microsoft will no doubt have some apps that will not play nice with the mode. But even if they don’t, it is certain that Android will. The Duo is an Android device. While I expect the Android apps to work beside other apps, they will not span across both screens without developer support.

There are multiple ways that fully functioning apps can be presented on the Duo:

1. The app can fill one of the two screens.
2. The app can fill both screens with a gap in the middle.
3. The app can use both screens by displaying the main part of the app on one screen and other options on the second screen.
4. The turned on its side, the app can fill the top screen while a keyboard fills the bottom screen.

Getting the most out of these screens will require developer involvement. Unfortunately, Android is not well supported for anything other than smartphone apps. Android tablets are all but ignored by developers. It seems the Duo will require even more work from a development community that already rejected the tablet form factor. That does not bode well for the app ecosystem that will take full advantage of what Microsoft is trying to offer.

We don’t tend to think in pairs

What app pairing would you like right now? I don’t know, either. I am obviously writing this post. I like my writing app to take up the full screen because I like to have a sense of how it will look in a browser. And I need the fonts to be pretty large. Sometimes, I want to see new email when it comes it. I also want to see new text messages. Now, I have to choose. I also refer to the internet periodically while I write.

It might make sense for me to pair email with text message since those are communications apps. But pairing them does not help me when I am writing and need to also refer to an email or text. Cognitively, it is easier for me to just use one app at a time and have a fast way to switch between the apps I need.

Microsoft could combine the best of split-screen and slide-over. You could anchor one app to one side and cycle through a sequence of apps on the other side. I don’t believe that is how it currently works. But perhaps that is something Microsoft could implement later. Most of the time, I find that I have no idea what I want to do with the other half of the screen. It is less distracting if it was all just one app.

It is a solution in search of a problem

Very seldom have I been in a situation where I am working on a single screen and thought to myself, what I really need right now is a second screen. That would make this task some much better. There is a good chance that thought does not often cross your mind, either. On the other hand, there are many times when I have thought the screen I was working with was too busy, and would be improved with less stuff on it.

That is not to say there is never a time when a second screen would be useful. I am the kind of geek who sometimes uses three screens connected to the same computer just because I can. I am running two screens right now and I can admit that it is mostly a stunt, not a necessity. My wife has access to dual screens for accessibility purposes. And she seldom takes advantage of it. That second display is costing you more power and heat for little gain.

That said, there is a difference between a computer on a desk and a smartphone in your hand. We use those tools in very different ways. I can definitely see where having a more information dense environment could help in some situations. Microsoft’s video introducing the Surface Duo makes a strong case for the product, at least on the surface.

Microsoft’s case for the Duo

One of my favorite keynotes of all time was the iPad unveiling. That is where Jobs came on stage and made a clear case for his product. It was slotted between the smartphone and the laptop. And to be successful, it had to be better at both for some specific tasks. Microsoft provided nothing remotely like that. Commentators are trying to figure out where this product is slotted, what market it is going after, and what its primary purpose for existing is.

It seems to be just another folding smartphone. But Microsoft refuses to call it a smartphone. It is definitely not a laptop. Because it is two small screens separated by a visible hinge, it is a little awkward as a tablet. If it is a new product category, it needs a designation. As of yet, there is none.

The market is another matter, We can at least guess at Microsoft’s aim. They are unapologetically an enterprise company. Besides the Xbox, Microsoft is all in on business, and all but ignores the consumer market. You can see that in the way they demonstrated the product. One of the use cases they presented with some pride was reading a Kindle book on one screen and taking notes on the other. Unless you are prepping for a business meeting or an assignment for school, you would never do that. No one would.

When I take a break to read a book, I am not in a mode to take notes at the same time. Even if I am reading nonfiction, I am not taking notes while consuming that information. But Microsoft is always in work mode. They cannot comprehend how consumers use computing devices. If you use your devices for work and productivity, you might find Microsoft’s presentation compelling.

The closest thing to a consumer use case I saw was social networking. If you spend a lot of time chatting with friends and sharing links, and planning meetups, you might like a device that helps you multitask better. That said, I hardly see the point of spending an additional $1,300 for a device that duplicates what you have been doing very well on your smartphone for years. The target market for this device already has a smartphone and a laptop.

There might be a compelling case for the Surface Duo. I just don’t know what it is. And Microsoft doesn’t seem to know what it is, either. It is up to the company to make me want their device. They have to tell a story that explains to people why they want the product. Apple is brilliant at that. When they release a product, I know exactly how I think it will benefit me. Microsoft has failed to connect those dots for me. Perhaps a future marketing campaign will do better.

Conclusion: Its all about the iPad

If the Duo is not a phone play or a laptop play, it has to be a tablet play. And the only tablet in the game worth playing for is the iPad. The main reason Microsoft keeps making convergence devices is because they can’t sell pure tablets. It is also the main reason why Android tablet apps are practically nonexistent. Neither Google nor Microsoft can convince consumers to buy a tablet in addition to Android smartphones and Windows laptops. Apple is the only company successfully selling all three product categories.

Microsoft has solved the developer problem by going with Android smartphone apps. Those apps already exist. What they haven’t solved is the problem of how to get people to pay over $1,300 for an unnecessary device when they are used to getting by on $200 smartphones. Android couldn’t sustain sales of the Nexus 7 tablet for $200. They are doing much better selling $200 Chromebooks. They are not even close to being able to sell an in-between device for $1,300 and up.

On the other hand, the iPad is a successful in-between device that sells for $300 on the low end and $1,000 on the high end. $799 gets them the 11” iPad Pro. And $499 gets the excellent iPad Air. $400 gets you an iPad mini, one of my favorite iPads. But that up against the Surface Duo and there is no contest. The Duo costs more than 3 iPad minis. It will be running unmodified smartphone apps with the mini has an extensive library of bespoke, tablet apps. The mini can run in split screen mode for the few times you want it. The Duo does little to address any of the advantages held by the iPad line.

Right now, the iPad has a monopoly on awesome in-between devices people actually buy with their own money. Nothing about the Duo is going to challenge that.

David Johnson