Reddit mentions of Microsoft HD-500 Display Dock for Lumia 950 / Lumia 950 XL - Black

"Already moving the goal posts"

I'm not "Moving the goal posts", just expanding on the original idea. This is a subject that contains a multitude of caveats on either side of the fence, so I think it's understandable to not attempt to cover everything in a single post, let alone on my phone during a lunch break.

"This isn't going to happen, so you should really not bank on it or hope for it."

That's quite a blanket statement. I have a hard time believing that no schools in the US, or on the planet earth for that matter, would not have the slightest interest in a system such as this (University or not). Even if a school didn't provide the actual dock itself, just supplying a keyboard and monitor would be enough (Which almost all schools already have). A student could easily bring their own device dock ( Like the display dock that exists today for the 950) for use at school If one did not want/could not afford a laptop dock. Which, once again, is MUCH cheaper and easier to carry around than a laptop would be (The 950 dock is currently for sale on amazon for $59 USD - https://www.amazon.com/Microsoft-Display-Dock-Lumia-HD-500/dp/B01I749CKO ).


"Most universities don't even allow windows 10 on institutional machines."

The school would not own the phones, that would belong to the student.

"take the laptop for a much better experience"

It's easy to just tell someone to "take the laptop for a much better experience", but that is easier said than done for some people. Not everyone can afford a phone and a laptop (as I mentioned above), nor a desire to own one for that matter. There are many people who would only want a device to comfortably type up their homework, do research on, or pay bills on and that's it. Why spend the money on a laptop when I could just dock my phone (Whether it be a traditional dock or laptop dock), do my work, and be done? Why buy another computer (aka phone) when you already own one?

"And those who actually make decisions see phones as phones and laptops and laptops and the cost to upgrade infrastructure to co-mingle those two things are not worth the opportunity cost. "

This is another blanket statement. If the phone is running the exact same operating system as a laptop (Full Windows OS, as per discussion), then the difference should be minimal. Not to mention that there are always is, and always will be infrastructure costs. The fact is, if Microsoft went ahead and implemented the capability into the core functionality of Retail and Enterprise editions of Windows, the support (optional or not) would eventually be integrated or available to integrate into a company via EOL OS upgrades. Even in the current form of individual Phone + Laptop, look at the rate iOS and Android Operating Systems upgrade at. Do you think it's easy and/or cheap to manage the disparity between iOS, Android, and Windows? If anything, there would be a great potential in cost savings vs detriment by using a single OS.

"There is a reason why more businesses run on windows XP than on windows 10. I'm guessing you're a student based on the idea of bringing one to class. The "corporate world" is not nearly as techy as you think it is, unless you specifically work in tech - and very few of those corporations have bought into docks either. "

Actually no, I am not a student. Which is why I said initially "If I was a student". I work in an IT department for a corporation with 150k+ employees. ANY company that still runs on an EOL OS such as XP should seriously question their IT department's competency (https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/13853/windows-lifecycle-fact-sheet). A vast majority of our corporate associates (THOUSANDS of associates) use a laptop + Laptop Dock + Monitor + keyboard + Mouse (Unless the associate specifically requests another device such as an AIO), as well as a company phone. The potential savings on laptop hardware alone is staggering. Not to mention less devices to support overall, which leaves to massive time ( time = money) savings. This is just one example. Even if you don't agree with my personal experience, I think this is more than enough to disprove the possibility of it being no more than "marketing fluff".

Are the things that I described going to apply to all people, schools, and businesses? All scenarios? Yourself? Absolutely not. Do I think many could benefit from a single device that could not only double as a Phone/Computer, but also have the potential of being wildly successful? Absolutely. Do I think this is going to happen within the next few years? Not likely, but I do think that's where things are heading, and I think it's rather close minded to say such a device, even in the now, has no potential in the home, in the school, or in the office.

I have charging set up with a Microsoft USB c dock. It charges. I got it on Amazon for $50, but it's a bit harder to find now.

And I have it with mouse, keyboard, screen. It's literally a computer.

Microsoft Display Dock for Lumia 950 or 950 XL (HD-500) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01I749CKO/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_qdqRBbCAMV9FJ

I just picked up a Microsoft Display Dock HD-500 secondhand for £10 (designed for Lumia), it works perfectly and has 3 x USB ports for external storage/peripherals. It works a lot better than the generic USB-C dock that I got a while back.

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EDIT: Added link