On January 11, 2022, Microsoft Japan, the Japanese subsidiary of Microsoft in the United States, started domestic shipment of its own Android smartphone “Surface Duo 2”. It is a model that has been on sale since October 2009 in the United States and other countries, and as the name implies, it is one of the hardware “Surface” series developed in-house by Microsoft, but there is a decisive difference from other Surface series. It means that it is a smartphone with Android installed in the OS (basic software).
Smartphone instead of computer
Until now, the Surface series sold in Japan had several types, such as a “2 in 1” style model that can be used like a tablet by removing the keyboard, and a laptop-type model. However, they were all common in that they were PCs equipped with Microsoft’s Windows.
Not only does the Surface Duo series use Android as the OS, it’s more compact than other Surface series, and it can also be used for mobile communication and voice calls. It is certain that it is a device that is classified as a smartphone, not a personal computer.
Microsoft used to develop Windows for smartphones, but now it’s focused on PCs. At the same time, we are focusing on cloud services, and the company’s representative application “Microsoft Office” has recently focused on providing it as a subscription (fixed charge) type cloud service “Microsoft 365”. There is.
As a result, Microsoft is believed to have developed the Surface Duo series in order to create an environment where people can work efficiently on mobile by utilizing cloud services. The first model “Surface Duo” was not sold in Japan, but it is finally available in Japan with Surface Duo 2.
The first “Surface Duo” was shipped in the United States and other countries in 2020, but was not sold in Japan.