“There’s definitely a new Intel-based Surface” in-store in the press event, for the Microsoft crowd and consumers. In a support article published yesterday, Microsoft says a fresh update for Windows 8.1 “adds support to the Surface Pro 3 camera.”
Microsoft is holding an event in New York on May 20th where the company is widely expected to launch a “Surface mini” tablet. But according to leaked information the company is also expected to launch a new Windows 8 tablet as well.
This is also supposed to include a new power-optimized Intel Haswell processor rather than an Atom variant. Microsoft is currently using Intel Haswell processors in its Surface Pro 2 tablets, and the company also enhanced its clock speed earlier this year.
The original Surface Pro and the Surface Pro 2 tablet both featured Intel Core i5 processors, 10.6 inch, full HD displays, a storage of at least 64GB, 4GB of RAM, support for digital pen input, and optional keyboard covers. The features of the Surface Pro 3 are still vague.
Similar to other “Mini” smartphones, the upcoming Surface Mini is also add on as a way to encourage sales with a lower retail price than their largest, high-end smartphone models. It is projected to feature a low-power ARM processor, Windows RT software, a reduced body, and most likely a lower price tag.
Sources say that Microsoft could place the tablet at around $299 to rival Apple’s first-generation iPad Mini. It is deemed that the upcoming Surface tablets will make the sales of iPad Air and iPad Mini Retina down.
Microsoft currently has a 10.6-inch Surface Pro tablet in its lineup, and a 12.2-inch Surface Pro offering would certainly provide more variety for Microsoft’s high-end customers who prefer larger tablets with more productivity at their disposal.