14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is expected to take the wraps off a new Surface model tomorrow, and the company’s Panos Panay just tweeted a photo that provides us with a glimpse into what to expect at the conference.
Panay posted a picture of four new Surface Type Covers which appear to be using Alcantara, the premium fabric that the company is already offering on the keyboard of the recently-launched Surface Laptop.
As you can see in the photo, the Type Cover will be available in four different colors, namely red, white, gray, and blue, and will feature illuminated keys.
Just Surface Pro, with no numbering
Microsoft will introduce a new Surface Pro model tomorrow, but the device will not be a completely new generation, but only a hardware refresh.
The new model is likely to feature new chips, probably Kaby Lake, as well as more RAM and storage, though the exact specs are not known at this point.
According to leaks that made the rounds recently, Microsoft will drop the numbering on the Surface Pro lineup, so the upcoming generation will simply be called “Surface Pro.” This is probably one of the reasons Panos Panay recently said “there’s no such thing as a Surface Pro 5,” a statement that made many believe that Microsoft is not working on a new-generation Surface.
Tomorrow’s event won’t be live streamed, and this could be a hint that Microsoft is indeed planning just a minor upgrade to the Surface Pro lineup, though a new name is clearly a change that many fans would be interested in.
Some other accessories are also likely to be refreshed, including the Surface Pen, so the new keyboards are expected to be just part of the show.
Sales of the new Surface Pro should begin next month, while pre-orders will probably kick off after the Shanghai event. The new model will be sold alongside the existing configurations.