14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft took the wraps off the Surface Pro and the Surface Laptop earlier this year, but it appears that the company still has a few surprises on the Surface front for 2017.
Panos Panay, corporate vice president for Surface at Microsoft, will attend the company’s Future Decoded event in London on October 31, and according to reports, he will unveil at least one new device as part of the Surface lineup.
Second-generation Surface Book?
Details are missing completely, but judging from the previous reports, a second-generation Surface Book is very likely to see daylight at the event. Earlier this year, a black Surface Book was spotted in a promo video published by Intel, but a confirmation as to whether this was the new model or not wasn’t provided.
Originally, it was believed that Microsoft would unveil the second-generation Book in October 2016, but the company allegedly held back the release because certain features weren’t ready. It now turns out that the Surface Book 2 is ready for debut and it could see daylight next month in London.
Additionally, Microsoft also said that an LTE SKU of the Surface Pro would launch in the fall, so this model could also be unveiled at the London event. A hardware upgrade for the Surface Hub is also possible, so at first glance, Microsoft could have more than a single device to introduce at the show.
ARM-powered Windows 10 devices
And last but not least, there’s also a chance that Microsoft will discuss the future of Windows 10 on ARM chips, as the company and its partners originally promised to bring such devices to the market in late 2017.
According to a statement from a Microsoft spokesperson, that plan is still on the table, and with the October 31 event one of the last this year, the software giant could use it specifically to introduce such devices. At this point, it’s not known if Microsoft itself wants to join this Windows 10 on ARM push with a Surface model, but more news in this regard are expected to be shared in London.
Apple should be particularly interested in Microsoft’s next unveiling because whatever device Redmond takes the wraps off, it’s an alternative to its own products. The original Surface Book was positioned by Microsoft as “the ultimate laptop,” and even though it came with a detachable keyboard and a touchscreen, it has always been considered a MacBook alternative, even more than the Surface Laptop.
The Surface Pro LTE would be a direct competitor to the iPad Pro, which Apple is betting big on this year, while ARM-powered Windows laptops would help Microsoft offered always-on LTE connectivity and longer battery life, appealing to nearly the same markets as Apple, including the education sector.