An early report from the New York Times claims that Microsoft is aiming for a 2011 release for their famed Courier tablet. Engineers familiar with the device state that though they are targeting for an early release next year, it has not been set in stone.
The curious new dual-screen tablet has been met with much fanfare on the internet even though Microsoft has yet to demo an actual working unit. It seems as if the device is real and working within Redmond’s walls though, as a Microsoft employee who claims to have seen it states that it’s about the size of a regular paperback book that unfolds to two parallel screens.
The current hurdles that Microsoft are trying to address right now with the Courier are battery life and the target market:
“…Microsoft engineers have concerns about the battery power needed to keep the two screens going, these [engineers] said. And internally the company is struggling to identify the right market. At first the idea was to market the Courier for designers and architects, but lately the company is thinking of a broader market of consumers and so would include e-books, magazines and other media content on the device."