14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft is more or less resting on its laurels with the Surface lineup, and a new generation is nowhere to be seen, even though major upgrades were originally expected in October last year.
In the meantime, Apple is working at full speed on taking the 2-in-1 device market by surprise with a new iPad Pro model, and given Microsoft’s moment of relaxation, Cupertino has a good opportunity to become an important player in this particular product category.
Apple in 2-in-1s
Seeing Apple betting so big on 2-in-1s is a bit ironic these days, especially because the company originally laughed at OEMs investing in such devices, calling Microsoft’s Surface a mix of a toaster and a refrigerator.
Apple couldn’t imagine having a keyboard on a tablet, but after seeing the success of the Surface lineup, the company had no other option than to embrace this form factor as well.
The iPad Pro was an unexpected product, especially because Apple has always been considered a pioneer and not a follower, with the device clearly copying Microsoft’s approach with the Surface. A detachable keyboard, a pen, and the focus on productivity made the iPad Pro a rival to the Surface Pro.
Many believe that iPads can’t be rivals to Surface because of the big differences between iOS and Windows 10, but Microsoft seems to treat this battle carefully, especially because a similar thing happened with Chrome OS too. Most people played down Google’s chances of winning in education with Chromebooks, and now Microsoft struggles to win back this market with new products like Windows 10 S and Surface Laptop.
The next iPad
The iPad Pro contributed to growing iPad sales, which totaled 13 million in Q1 2017, and the next model is likely to boost shipments as well.
Analysts expect the 10.5-inch iPad Pro launching next month to sell as many as 6 million units this year alone, which means it could spearhead sales of the whole lineup for Apple.
The new model will come with a bezel-less design to feature a 10.5-inch display in a smaller chassis, with iOS also likely to receive an overhaul to focus more on productivity with a keyboard. The debut could take place in June at WWDC
The Surface delay
In the meantime, Microsoft doesn’t seem to be too concerned with what its rivals are doing, and it is slowly working on the next Surface behind closed doors.
The latest-generation Surface was launched in October 2015 when the Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book both got to see daylight. Naturally, a product refresh was expected in the fall of 2016, but at that point, speculation claimed the company decided to hold it back because certain features weren’t ready.
The next Surface was then expected in the spring of this year, again with major improvements, but the same rumors re-surfaced in early 2017, this time pointing to a release in the fall.
The Shanghai event
And yet, there seems to be something on the Surface front coming this spring. An event planned for May 23 in Shanghai could bring us a new Surface model, though information in this regard doesn’t seem to indicate that a new generation is expected.
Surface creator Panos Panay himself has explained that the Surface Pro 5 is not on the radar just yet, which could be a sign that the May 23 conference could bring us only small improvements to the existing model.
A 4K screen, new chips, most likely Kaby Lake, more storage and RAM, are all likely to make it to the next Surface Pro 4 later this month. The design and features, however, are likely to be mostly similar.
If this is indeed true and Microsoft sticks with a modest refresh for the Surface Pro lineup, the iPad Pro might become a more compelling product for customers across the world. Microsoft, however, has been praised by everyone for the Surface lineup, so losing the innovator title to Apple would be quite a big loss.