I remember debating this with u/Daniel_Rubino back a few months after the trainwreck launch of the OG Duo on the Duo subreddit. I claimed it was immedietely apparent before Microsoft had even launched the device that they had effectively abandoned it. It started development at a different time in the gadget space, and never even intended to have Android. We got a Duo 1 and Duo 2 but that was because the hardware was already effectively developed - thus the small batches of them produced, for truly ridiculous asking prices, and saddled with Android instead of a version of ARM Windows as originally planned.

He insisted he knew for absolute sure that Microsoft was commited to the line for at least three hardware generations, and that it was a bulletproof internal plan. He claimed they were roadmapping the form factor deep into the future and that they had significant resources working on software development, and that the Duo line would continue to get monthly software updates adding significant fixes and new features monthly for a long time.

The result? Two half baked devices. Scant software updates. And a quick abandonment by Microsoft. Microsoft literally washed their hands of it entirely and left it to Google with Android 12L to try and make a usable OS with the Duo. Oh, and one cancelled Neo device, too. And of course you can't forget the product designers tweeting about how awesome of a daily driver phone it was - from their iPhones.

My point? Hype is hype, and hype is not reality. Folks like Rubino, and nothing against him personally I'm sure he's just a nice guy doing his job, are paid corporate hype beasts and not objective tech journalists. When the Duo was imminent he was all over the Duo subreddit on a daily basis talking up big plans and a million and one reasons to invest your hard earned money into the Duo. He probably wasn't lying, Microsoft was feeding him this stuff, but he was being lied to.

Microsoft is second only to Google in squandering time, money, and engineers over projects that launch as zombies, while swearing up and down they are committed forever to whatever it is - while behind closed doors they are debating how to sunset it before it's even in people's hands. I don't know what sort of internal, mega fucked up corporate inefficiencies lead to this crap but it is becoming a major problem in the tech world. I think part of it is that companies are addicted to the press cycle and potential stock bump of exciting new products, but care little to none about building the infrastructure necessary to carry them on as staple offerings.

A small number of people got some good out of their Duos. Before I got my Fold 3 I really enjoyed mine (which I pre-ordered and got on launch day) for Manga and just general web browsing on the couch and in bed. I tried to use it as a daily carry phone for about a week before ending that experiment, because it might be the worst expensive Android "Phone" ever. However at the end of the day you can't deny it is an absolute failure that Microsoft shoved out into the market to shake down the pockets of their most ardent fans, and not much more than that beyond a neat novelty.