It’s been a busy year for Microsoft in terms of new hardware, as the company pushed out both a dual-screen Android smartphone, as well as two new Xbox gaming consoles. Well, as noted by Panos Panay on Twitter, two of those devices — the Surface Duo and the Xbox Series S — managed to make Time Magazine’s best inventions of 2020 list.
Pumped to see @surface Duo on the @TIME's Best Inventions of 2020 list! We always say products are a reflection of the people who make them and I'm incredibly proud of the team for the passion they put into this device #TIMEBestInventions #SurfaceDuo https://t.co/5cgVWxhdCG
— Panos Panay (@panos_panay) November 19, 2020
With the full list covering a variety of topics from Augmented Reality to Transportation and Wellness, Microsoft got mentions in two specific categories. In Consumer Electronics, Surface Duo made the list along with the Insta360 One R, MOON UltraLight, Sony a7C, and four other gadgets. Meanwhile, in entertainment, Microsoft’s Xbox Series S made the list along with the PlayStation 5, LG 65-inch GX OLED 4KTV, Nvidia Geforce Now, Animal Crossing New Horizon’s as well as the Samsung Sero.
When writing about the choice of the Surface Duo, Time’s Patrick Lucas Austin explained that the Duo “feels like a concept device, but also a peek into the future of mobile computing.” He also notes that “it won’t replace your iPhone and its killer camera just yet, but it’s easy to see how it one day might.”
As for Xbox Series S, TIme’s Matthew Gault explains that the console is “the basis for what could become the Netflix of video games.” He goes on to explain that “The Series S’s secret weapon is Game Pass: a subscription service where new hits like Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Halo Infinite will appear the same day as their traditional release.” Gault also praises the console’s ability to run high-resolution games, and its ability to run silently, too.
It is great to see that Microsoft’s gadgets made the list this year. In a year where we were expecting to see dual-screen PCs, and Windows 10X, things might have seen a bit disappointing, but we have to appreciate the Duo, as well as the Xbox Series X and Series S, too.
