Microsoft has announced that its next conference dedicated to the Surface line will be held on Oct 2 in New York. Besides the newest tablets and laptops, the event might be the venue for a presentation of Microsoft's first folding screen device.

As is now tradition, Microsoft will unveil its new Surface range this autumn. Held after Apple's annual conference and probably a little before Google's, Microsoft's event will show off the new tablets (Surface Pro) and the new computers (Surface Laptop, Book, and Studio) that make up the Surface brand.

As far as accessories go, wireless headphones, along the same lines as Apple's Airpods or Samsung's Galaxy Buds, could well be joining Microsoft's Surface Bluetooth Headphones.

However, the high point of the conference might be the presentation of a hybrid device such as a laptop-tablet with two screens. An internal presentation is rumoured to have taken place at Microsfort in June. The foldable Surface, code-named Centaurus, may have a large foldable screen or two screens joined together, and it's likely to run on a simplified version of Windows (Lite) and even be compatible with Android apps.

Microsoft has been working on a new folding-screen concept for years, first in a smartphone format, which has been abandoned, and now in a hybrid form. An official release for the hybrid device is not expected before 2020, however.

Last spring, Chinese giant Lenovo unveiled the world's first folding-screen PC, which it is planning to commercialise in 2020; the device will be a worthy challenger for Microsoft to contend with in this new format. – AFP Relaxnews