The Xbox One won’t be the only new gadget to come from Microsoft before Christmas, as new reports suggest that a second generation of Surface tablets running Windows 8 will arrive next month.
Despite middling success with the original Surface Pro and Surface RT tablets, Microsoft has been putting in work to produce a better sequel. We’ve already heard from the CEO of Nvidia that their chips will power one of the new Surface tablets – likely the RT model – and now we know that the latest Intel Haswell chips will power the Surface Pro 2.
Neowin has leaked a number of specifications for the next gen Surface Pro tablets, confirming that that an Intel Core i5 processor featuring the new power efficient and speedy Haswell chips will be at the very core. We also know that Microsoft will double the RAM from 4GB to 8GB, which should make the device very capable indeed.
Design-wise, little will change, according to the report from Neowin; the main focus for Microsoft will be making its tablet faster and more capable, whilst ironing out the problems found in the original model. We do know however that Microsoft has apparently ‘refined’ the kickstand, which props the tablet up for easy use on a desk or table.
Of course, the new models will come with Windows 8.1 out of the box. Microsoft has been planning this first major update for Windows 8 for some time and it finally comes out next month, so it makes sense for the new Surface models to arrive at roughly the same time. The source confirms that Microsoft is aiming to launch in October alongside a big marketing push in an attempt to boost sales.
What would you change about the original Surface Pro?