Microsoft confirms: Surface Neo will support Win32 app

Surface Neo and Surface Duo were the main surprise, along with the most current Surface Pro X, of the latest Microsoft hardware event. They are dual-screen products with a hinge in the center, without flexible panels or other potentially problematic parts, and have generated contrasting sensations, between excitement, curiosity and a little skepticism. Microsoft has just made the first call to the developers, revealing some additional details.

The company has stated that the new dual-screen products will be able to run existing apps. It will be better to develop exclusive features to make the most of them and expand the user experience through the new format. Surface Neo and Surface Duo will support Android and Windows app. Microsoft has not been very reliable in the past as far as ” compatibility ” is concerned.

Windows on ARM is an example: there is support, but the use of old-concept apps is not recommended. As for current products, we can afford to be less doubtful: Surface Duo uses the Android operating system and the usual ARM CPU, while Surface Neo is based on Windows 10X and Intel processors that should not give any problems regarding compatibility with ” legacy ” app.

There is one thing to note: old apps (on Android, on the web, UWP apps and Win32 app) will work on new products but will only be able to take advantage of one screen. The user will not have benefits in using old-fashioned apps on dual-screen devices, will not be able to take advantage of their intrinsic functionality and will not be able to expand them on both screens.

To do this, developers will need to use the Microsoft API and enable full dual-screen support, so that the user can use different parts of the same app on the two screens. We do not know what the effort will be required of the developers, who will have to send the request to Microsoft via e-mail to have access to the API they need. And we do not know how much the developers will accept to work on a new platform, not yet on the market, and the commercial success which is not a certainty.

The company is giving some advance notice to the developers, as dual-screen devices will arrive in several months. It is clear that their success is still a big unknown, given that it will depend on various factors, including availability and – above all – price.