It is reported that Microsoft is gearing up to release a set of Surface Phones by 2017. (Photo : YouTube/CTNtechnologynews)
According to recent data, personal computer or PC profits have significantly dipped since the introduction and wide distribution of the smartphone. In 2010, the profit margin for PCs is less than 10 percent ahead of the profit margin for smartphones. By 2015, smartphone sales have increased almost two fold. On the other hand, PC sales clock in at a mere 16 percent from the previous 52.5 percent, just five years earlier.
Because of the daunting statistics, it is unsurprising how tech manufacturers are producing impressive handset gadgets as often as they do. True enough, according to several reports, Microsoft, one of the world's leading tech manufacturers, is currently developing the Surface Phone. Moreover, speculations claim that Microsoft's upcoming unveiling would feature a specification never before seen on a smartphone.
Windows Central recently obtained copies of Microsoft's recent patent application which details a notebook trackpoint that can be used with the company's flagship operating system, Windows 10. Basically, the trackpoint would not only serve as a fingerprint security feature, but it is also intended to perform different tasks depending on the finger pressure applied to it. This innovation can significantly make opening files and apps faster and more efficient.
"A pointing device with a sensor having an input surface to detect a user's tactile interaction and a depressed portion, and an apparatus to interface with the input surface and receive the user's tactile action is described," reads a part of the patent as published by Free Patents Online.
Microsoft applied for the patent late 2015. The patent in turn was made public just this month. Microsoft has yet to comment on the released patents, leaving much about the reports surrounding the trackpoint for the Surface phone mere speculations.
For reference, Microsoft began manufacturing and distributing mobile phones following their acquisition of Finnish tech manufacturing company Nokia. Lumia 950, Lumia 950 XL and Lumia 550 are amongst the most recently released Microsoft phones. These smartphones were made available for purchase in October 2015, and these Lumia models have since been upgraded from a Windows Phone 8 OS to the up-to-date Windows 10 OS in December 2015.
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