14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is reportedly working on a new smaller Surface tablet that’s very likely to be released later this year, probably after the launch of the Windows 8.1 upgrade.
Citing some unnamed insiders, ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley writes that Windows 8.1 is basically Microsoft’s major step towards smaller Surface units, especially because the existing Windows RT doesn’t work very well on tablets with screens smaller than 8 inches.
Windows RT hasn’t been optimized to be used in portrait mode, while the user interface and the displayed buttons are way too small for such a device.
Windows 8.1, on the other hand, would come with several key improvements in this regard, so it would be easier not only for Microsoft, but also for the other manufacturers on the market, to release smaller units featuring 7- or 8-inch displays.