Microsoft confirms, kills Courier in one fell swoop

Well this is depressing. Word has just gone fluttering out of Redmond that work on the Courier project -- a heretofore rumored dual-screen tablet which rightfully set the tech world ablaze -- has been spun down by the company. Here's the official line from Frank Shaw, Microsoft's VP of corporate communications:

At any given time, across any of our business groups, there are new ideas being investigated, tested, and incubated. It's in Microsoft's DNA to continually develop and incubate new technologies to foster productivity and creativity. The "Courier" project is an example of this type of effort and its technologies will be evaluated for use in future Microsoft offerings, but we have no plans to build such a device at this time.

All very sad, of course. So how did we get here? And was this thing ever really real to begin with? After all, it's hard to kill something that never lived. Well here's the deal, according to a source familiar with the situation: the Courier did indeed start life as a potential new product category for the company, one which was being incubated internally with very real plans for a marketable device. It seems, however, that things just didn't manage to take shape, and word was handed down very recently that the incubation period had reached its conclusion -- sans product -- and resources would be directed elsewhere. Now, that doesn't mean that we won't see some of this technology turn up in other products which Microsoft has in the pipeline (the company does keep quite a few balls in the air), but it does mean that those rendered videos of the Courier in action will remain, unfortunately, renders. As far as the Engadget team is concerned, there isn't a dry eye in the house right now -- but the Courier will always remain in our hearts as one of the finest unicorns that ever unicorned across our screens.

[Lord Vader Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:48PM]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Elenium Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:49PM]

@Lord Vader Seriously, I think I'm gonna cry.

[jdm28690 Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:49PM]

@Elenium

Goodbye sweet prince

[MrTalented Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:50PM]

@Lord Vader

I sense a disturbance in the force...

[eyerot Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:51PM]

@Lord Vader
Once again, MS snatches defeat from the jaws of victory.

[MarkAnderson Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:51PM]

@Lord Vader

Even though I think tablets are a bit niche this is still a sad day.

Waiting for Ballmer to shout out SIKE!

Please?

No.

...

I think I'm going to cry.

[winbsodos Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:51PM]

@Lord Vader

Look at it this way, at least you still have the JooJoo!

[DestrictoEnse Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:51PM]

You might like to mention that Gizmodo broke the story... legally this time...

[HoldenMccrotch Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:51PM]

@Elenium
you think youre going to, i already am, so many wasted unicorns :'(

[Beatnik Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:51PM]

@Lord Vader
WHY?

[N900 Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:52PM]

Courier: Never Forget

[Luffy Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:53PM]

@Lord Vader
4/29/10 - NEVER FORGET

[Natal Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:53PM]

@Lord Vader

The product was too much of a niche... I think it was obvious

[Beatnik Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:54PM]

@Lord Vader
Hey Josh interesting that UNICORNED word.

[tekdemon Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:57PM]

@Lord Vader It's OK...as long as they mean that there's an even better and more awesome tablet setup coming. Courier seemed like it would be really great if I was a designer like in the mockups but honestly it seemed like it would be a mess for the stuff I actually do, which isn't really nearly as creativity oriented.

[sinai Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:58PM]

@Lord Vader

or as Chinese Vader would say, "DO NOT WANT!"

[BergerFan Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:58PM]

@Lord Vader BWHAHAHAHA! Was never gonna happen.

[Ioncloud9 Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:58PM]

@Lord Vader It was as if a million voices cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced!

[Rod Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:59PM]

@Lord Vader

...as though a million voices cried out at once, followed by....silence.

[shockr Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:59PM]

@Lord Vader My thoughts exactly. :(

[nickyP Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:59PM]

@sinai Well, on the plus side, HP Slate running WebOS 2.0 all but confirmed. So... there.

[Anatidae Posted Apr 29th 2010 4:59PM]

@Lord Vader Damn rebels. Isn't there something you can do about them. First the Death Star and now this? Come on.

[69camaroSS Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:01PM]

@Natal

You have no idea what you are talking about. This product would appeal to a huge cross-section of creative professionals. Microsoft's problem is that they can't create software that smooth and make it work. They are incapable of such greatness. Everything they touch is bloated with Windows DNA.

[sidepocket Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:05PM]

@Lord Vader I kind of applaud them for not wasting their money on this. Who are we kidding? Microsoft would have marketed it terribly and only the most hardcore nerds would have bought one. Not to mention it would have no doubt have been missing feature X, Y, and Z and all us fanboys would have given them hell for it.

It would have been a huge embarrassment and the only reason you're upset is because you'll never have a chance to make fun of it. This way, the Courier will always live in our minds as, "man, it would have been so awesome!". It now becomes the "Arrested Development" of devices--killed before it's prime.

[abedinthehouse Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:08PM]

@Lord Vader
The force has failed me. I shall crawl away to my corner and cry in the fetal position until the Halo: Reach beta is released.

[Stevenamani Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:08PM]

@Lord Vader REAL. ARTISTS. SHIP.

[One Love Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:09PM]

@Lord Vader : I told you it was ALL fantasy!! HAHAHAHA!@

[ch35 Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:09PM]

@Lord Vader hahahahahaha that comment is so win

[Dr Kwame Nkrumah Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:09PM]

@MarkAnderson

Look at this fanboy.

[HellFlyer Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:10PM]

@Natal
Dont you think this has something to do with HP/ Palm ? maybe they got scared of competition?

[HotFuzz Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:10PM]

"a heretofore rumored dual-screen tablet which rightfully set the tech world ablaze"

Perhaps the "tech world" shouldn't get so excited about glorified PowerPoint presentations and wait for an *actual product* to emerge.

That's a big difference between Microsoft and Apple. Microsoft "leaks" *concepts* and coyly asks "What do you think?" Steve Jobs pulls a new *product* out of his pocket or from under a cover on a table and says "Hey, check this out!"

[wunderbar Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:11PM]

@DestrictoEnse That's why they link the source buddy.

[One Love Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:11PM]

Just buy 2 iPads, add a hinge and they can exchange data using wifi and custom software. :)

[Leroysboy Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:12PM]

@Lord Vader Can u or someone else pleeeeease explain to me how they find the ipad useless but find this usefull. At least when apple shows a product they come out with it. Rumor has it that they might put the hp slate on hold. Answer my question before u downrank me

[Salty Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:12PM]

@Lord Vader =(

[kives343 Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:13PM]

@Lord Vader
A part of me just died a little why Microsoft the one time you could destroy Apple in some type of hardware sale where you were competeing this is why I don't like Microsoft and some of there decision instead of kill the Surface aka giant fucking table with tough screen they kill a sure fire hit which of course I would love to death.

[MishkaGreen Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:13PM]

@Lord Vader I REALLY wanted one!

[Lord Vader Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:13PM]

MY REACTION TO THE COURIER'S DEATH! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wp0IjC32kNk

[joe23521 Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:15PM]

@Lord Vader

I literally cried.

[abedinthehouse Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:16PM]

@Lord Vader
I believe this was the look on your face Big V.

http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/comment/4/2010/04/d6b9abc2fdbf7de56b81b7a6345c93c0/340x.jpg

[Anatidae Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:20PM]

@Lord Vader Damn. Is that Steve Jobs in the hood next to you in that video clip?

[macmann Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:20PM]

@Lord Vader
hahahahahahahahahahaha!

[pavelbure Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:20PM]

So much crying over a product that never even existed. Fanboys at their best.

[NiKoLaSm Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:21PM]

@Lord Vader

This hurts even more than my Caps imploding in the first round. Stupid Canadiens.

[who said what Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:22PM]

@NiKoLaSm

Wow MS, you never fail to disappoint!!

[greenskye Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:26PM]

@Lord Vader Yet another example of a company designing a product that would cause me to freely and happily hand over my money, if only they'd shown me where.

Now what am I supposed to blow my money on? An iPad? *gag*

[jaffreywali Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:29PM]

@Elenium The vaporware leaks were timed to blunt ipad sales.... this was never going to see the light if day! I am not surprised.

[skyblaze Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:29PM]

@Lord Vader

WHY ARE PEOPLE LIKING THIS ON FACEBOOK?!!!

[mousewrestler Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:31PM]

@Lord Vader Did you mean http://nooooooooooooooo.com/ But in all seriousness, Microsoft releases Songsmith and cancels the most awesome idea they ever had? Jeez!

[Mike Vegas Posted Apr 29th 2010 5:35PM]

@Elenium
THE KING IS DEAD! LONG LIVE THE KING!