News Microsoft cans Courier

Yeah, but we're 100% concentrated, double filtered pure:

 

Certainly valid point about the bezels/hinging. Even with bezel-less screens there is a good chance that a hinge mechanism would either create a bit of a 'bezel' on its own, or create an akward protrusion. The flip side being that a roughly 9.5"x7.5"x.5" device (such as the iPad) could perhaps fold down to 5"x7.5"x1" which is all good and fine, but if that size is deemed smaller than it needs to be the height can always be increased with minimal impact on the folded height. This would also make up for lost screen real estate due to center bezels/hinge.

Though I'd like to say that the desire for folding goes past the iPad which I have only tried in store like yourself, the Kindle being another device with similar dimensions which I have far more experience with (borrowed one to read Crime and Punishment for school... yeah, I got familiar with it ). Thin enough to be very managable in any situation where that is a factor and light enough to never be a problem (Kindle is, at least) but the size made it overly unwieldy when carried in one hand yet made it too large to fit in normal pockets (I'm somewhat of a para-mil geek and wear a combat-inspired coat capable of holding Kindles/iPads, but I am a beautiful and unique snowflake abnormal). I was also very wary of the exposed screen when putting it in [large] pockets with other items, or when setting it down, or carrying it in a stack with other books and such. Reading with it was pretty pleasing, but for a "mobile" device I was quite irked by the shape and size.

But of course, maybe I really am unique. Like you said, there must have been plenty of thought put into the size and no doubt the size was chosen off of averages and majorities from various studies and test groups. Guess the folding team lost

 

That's brilliant Does Oddbins sell it? Threshers?

 

I don't think the folding team lost --the Courier looked practical enough, and MSI's prototype dual-screen tablet has only a small, relatively unobtrusive spine. I think that were the Courier lost was the hardware requirements vs. battery life and production price point. In five years it will be another story perhaps, when the price and power requirements of tech has come down and Tablets have established a market, but right now it is too much of a gamble for Microsoft. My point all along: the specs of the iPad may have seem a bit conservative, but for the current level and price point of tech they hit the sweet spot exactly.

 

I can see the folding devices being put on hold till they better perfect the folding OLED screens and make them a commercial viability with no visable crease. till then the small bezel will stop them being a media device, as playing video across the screens is a muddle, and I'd say they're still a few years away from acceptable folding screens yet.

 

If the MSI prototype goes anywhere. My hopes are that it will, of course, because I can't see myself ever buying a mobile device over the size of 5"x3" that doesn't fold. My cell phone is a Samsung Alias, it can even fold two ways! The concept is very near and dear to my heart. With any luck the future will hold both styles of tablet as more and more products hit the market and product lines start to be developed. The big question for the 'folding team' that I still see, unfortunately, is "Big or Small?". Do people want what is essentially two iPads hinged together creating a large almost laptop like device, or something like an iPad when opened which folds down to half the size? It starts to get closer to the question of "Big phone or small laptop?".