14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 3 on May 20, and the company was also said to be working on a small model that could hit the market as Surface Mini sometime in the near future.
Now a new report published by Digitimes claims that a new Surface model is indeed in the works right now, but contrary to what most people would expect, it’s not the Mini version we were talking about.
The source says that a new 10.6-inch version of the Surface tablet is expected to debut in October 2014, most likely as a makeover of one of the existing Surface models. Citing “Taiwan-based supply chain makers,” the report reveals that production of components for the new tablet is projected to debut in August.
Volume production of the tablet should kick off in September, the same source adds, before the public launch scheduled for October. Sales would obviously begin one month later, in November.
As far as the features of the new Surface are concerned, it appears that Microsoft is working to make this model slimmer and lighter, with sales expected to be better as compared to the existing versions that are already on the market.
The Surface Mini is obviously one big enigma right now, especially because Microsoft is believed to be still considering such a project.
The Mini was expected to hit the market in the form of an 8-inch note-taking device that could be used by students and teachers alike to replace the traditional notebook and write or draw much faster and easier. The Surface Mini was expected to ship with the same digital pen as the Surface Pro 3, which already provides state-of-the-art capabilities, such as OneNote integration.
As for the upcoming Surface model, it’s no surprise that the company is working to expand its tablet lineup, especially because it continues its efforts to switch the focus from software to other businesses, such as cloud and hardware.
The new CEO Satya Nadella has said on several occasions that Microsoft is positioned to become a mobile-first, cloud-first company, with work to continue in many key areas, including hardware. Of course, the software giant hasn’t said anything about new Surface models, but it’s quite obvious that launching new tablets is part of its plan to become a more active player in the hardware business.
We’ve reached out to Microsoft for some comments on this report, but given the fact that it doesn’t usually talk about future projects, do not expect too many hot details.