I will admit (although I believe it’s obvious) that when I try to come up with article ideas, I tend to forget about and gloss over Windows 10 Mobile. I think it has a proper foundation to become something great, but even as a casual user I find that I can’t stick with a Windows 10 Mobile device any longer than I could a basic flip phone (well, maybe a little longer). In the end, though, my app-centric lifestyle is never satisfied by a Windows 10 Mobile device.

It also doesn’t help that I’m constantly baffled by Microsoft’s decisions for the platform. Between renaming Windows Phone “Windows 10 Mobile” and buying out Nokia just to “streamline” its smartphone hardware business and layoff thousands of employees, when it comes to how I feel about Windows 10 Mobile I draw a blank. I want to like it, but there’s nothing solid about it that makes me want to buy one anymore. Even when Microsoft popped up with the Lumia 950 and 950 XL after an extended dry spell of no flagship devices, there was still the issue that Windows 10 Mobile was severely lacking in apps. There was promise of a flourishing app ecosystem, but not much to show for it.

So now there’s this whole bit about a rumored Surface Phone that could either save the platform, or be the final nail in the coffin. In theory, I think it would make a great addition to the Microsoft family. Surface has come a long way since Surface RT, and has become quite the darling for people who are torn between whether they want a laptop or a tablet. I myself picked up a Surface Book recently, and I absolutely love it. By using the Surface Book, I’ve started to think about that rumored Surface Phone again. It got me thinking whether a Surface Phone would actually make a difference for Microsoft’s mobile platform or not.

I want to say that it would. The Surface name alone would garner some much needed attention. However, I still think that whole app gap ordeal – which isn’t as bad as it used to be, but still exists – would quickly bring it down unless something was done about it before a Surface Phone was even released. And that, I believe, is what dooms the idea of a Surface Phone to begin with. Aptly described as a “chicken and egg” ordeal, developers don’t want to waste time on apps for an arguably “dead” platform, and people don’t want to invest in a platform where developers aren’t making apps. Perhaps knowing that a Surface Phone is on the horizon would prompt developers to take more interest, but that same scenario didn’t end up faring too well with the birth of Windows 10 Mobile. I’m not sure I have much faith in that.

I wish I could say that I still have hope for Windows 10 Mobile’s future. I want the Surface Phone to be real, and I want for it to be the magical unicorn that fixes everything wrong with what should be our third viable mobile platform. If I’m being honest with myself, though, I don’t think that’s going to be the case. I no longer hope for a Surface Phone; I only hope that I’ll be eating my words later.