According to Gizmodo, Microsoft has confirmed that it has canceled further development of its Courier tablet prototype. The hinged dual-screen device had never been formally acknowledged by Microsoft but that did not prevent the company from confirming that it would not offer it any time soon. According to Microsoft Corporate VP of Communications Frank Shaw:
At any given time, we’re looking at new ideas, investigating, testing, incubating them. It’s in our DNA to develop new form factors and natural user interfaces to foster productivity and creativity. The Courier project is an example of this type of effort. It will be evaluated for use in future offerings, but we have no plans to build such a device at this time.
The news conflicts with earlier rumours that Microsoft would release it sometime in the second half of the year.
No reason was given for the decision. While the Courier held a lot of promise, perhaps Microsoft found the almost-final product disappointing. Microsoft has also not ruled out revisiting the project in the future. Perhaps it will do so once it sees how the tablet and slate device market fares over the next couple of years.