Microsoft Surface Phone rumors have been swirling around the Internet for almost two years and a new patent for “a force sensitive device” looks like long-sought after proof that, yes, Microsoft is working on a Surface Phone.

Except that’s not exactly what the patent means and, if we’re being honest with ourselves, Microsoft will probably never deliver a Surface Phone device.

The rumor mill started churning again today thanks to a new patent that was granted to Microsoft on August 1, 2017 and spotted on Monday by Patently Apple.

The patent sounds fresh and goes into detail about how Microsoft would implement pressure-sensitivity, calibration, and precision to a touch-screen and stylus-friendly device — and it even uses a smartphone as an example of how to employ the technology.

However, the document isn’t exactly new. Microsoft submitted the patent in September of 2015, just weeks after it laid off thousands of people from its phone division.

When looked at through the lens of this timing it becomes clear that this patent is less about Microsoft’s future mobile plans and more about clarifying how it wanted to implement pressure sensitivity and response on future touch-screen devices, all of which might work with Microsoft’s existing Surface Pen (though the patent never mentions that stylus by name).

Believing in the possible existence of a Surface Phone is honestly like believing in unicorns. We all want to believe they exist, but no one has even seen one, and the facts say that they have never and will never exist. But like most-long-running rumors, there’s a hint a fact that stirs the wish-fulfillment pot.

Microsoft’s somewhat surprising success with Surface devices like the Surface Pro, Surface Book, and Surface Laptop have only provided fuel for more Surface Phone rumors. And long before Apple added pressure sensitivity and a smart, Bluetooth stylus to its iPad Pro line, Microsoft was selling tablets with pressure-sensitive Surface Pens.

Microsoft's new patent shows someone using a stylus on a tiny smartphone. Is it the Surface Phone?!Credit: USPTO/Microsoft

Some analysts I’ve spoken to believe the Surface Phone exists. Microsoft has never formally acknowledged the existence of such a device, but does little to dampen the rumors. Last year it purchased the Surfacephone.com domain. Some took this as proof, even though brands often buy up domain swaths to protect their intellectual property.

Mashable Light SpeedWant more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories?Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter.By signing up you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Thanks for signing up!

Even Panos Panay, Microsoft’s charismatic device head whom I’ve spoken to numerous times over the last five years, loves to play cagey with the question. When I met with him earlier this year for a deep dive on the new Surface Pro, I remarked that the slightly curvier design might be a good set-up for the Surface Phone. Panay laughed and, clearly joking, said, “Good, good, that’s a good thought. There’s a lot of questions about that, but I don’t really remember any of the answers.”

His Sphinx-like response isn’t surprising when you consider how much mileage Microsoft gets out of all this rumor and guesswork.

Shutting people like me down when we mention the Surface Phone would simply end a conversation that I think Microsoft still wants to be a part of. It may be because they always want to leave the Surface Phone door open, but it could also be because any mobile discussion about Microsoft is a good one. When I contacted Microsoft today, they wouldn't comment on this new Surface Phone speculation.

The company’s strategy ismobile based. It’s platform agnostic. Microsoft wants its technology and cloud access on everyplatform. And it’s a strategy that’s working. Microsoft’s cloud business is booming and millions of Office 365 subscribers are accessing the apps and documents via Windows, Android and iOS.

Microsoft doesn’t need a Surface Phone to succeed. Plus, building a delivering phone is an aggressively risky move with almost no upside. It’s not that people couldn’t handle another phone company. There are new ones popping up every day: Doogee, Xiomi, Essential. But what do all of them have in common? Android.

The marketplace for mobile platforms is officially closed. A Windows 10-based phone, even one called Surface Phone is a non-starter. Introducing it would put Microsoft at risk of falling on its face in the mobile space, yet again (If you count Kin, it’s done it three times).

So what does this patent mean then?

This paragraph is revealing:

Although the present embodiments are described and illustrated herein as being implemented in a smartphone, the device described is provided as an example and not a limitation. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the present embodiments are suitable for application in a variety of different types of mobile and/or hand-held apparatuses, e.g. in tablets, smart watches, laptops or gaming consoles. Force sensing may be used in various applications and apparatuses with a display. The display may be a peripheral connected to a system, wherein at least a portion of the user interface is configured to the display. In one embodiment the display is arranged inside a car, wherein the driver or passenger may operate the display with force sensing feature.

The patent is really all about Microsoft brand of force touch, one that underwent a significant shift between 2013 and 2015. In fact, this patent appears designed to explain and own that shift from Wacom touch technology to N-Trig. Initially that shift reduced the pressure sensitivity from 1024 levels down to 256. However, Surface Pros and their companion Surface Pens now enjoy 4,096 levels of pressure sensitivity.

At the time, though, Microsoft was defending its decision on, of all places, Reddit. How do I know this? Microsoft’s patent references an article about the discussion.

So, yes, we can ogle the patent’s spare illustrations of a shockingly-small smartphone and imagine it’s the long-rumored Surface Phone making another crucial step toward reality, but in our hearts, we know the truth. It’s still just a unicorn.

---

Featured Video For You

---

Check out Microsoft's latest, sleekest Surface Pro

---