Microsoft continues to use the Surface brand to illustrate where it thinks mobile computing is going in the future, and the latest rumors suggest a new avenue is being considered. The lightweight Windows 10 tablet.
The Redmond-based company is looking to extend the Surface family to a lower price point with a smaller device that is just as capable as other machines running Windows 10 Pro. Mark Gurman and Dina Bass report for Bloomberg:
The new tablets will feature 10-inch screens -- around the same size as a standard iPad, but smaller than the 12-inch screens used on the Surface Pro laptop line. The new Surfaces, priced about $400, will have rounded edges like an iPad, differing from the squared off corners of current models. They’ll also include USB-C connectivity, a first for Surface tablets, a new charging and syncing standard being used by some of the latest smartphones.
The tablets are expected to be about 20 percent lighter than the high-end models, but will have around four hours fewer of battery life. The current Surface Pro can last 13.5 hours on a single charge, according to Microsoft. Intel Corp. will supply the main processor and graphics chips for the devices, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plans aren’t public.
Microsoft has been down this path before, with the first generation Surface RT device running a limited version of Windows, and the Intel Atom powered Surface 3 tablet (reviewed here on Forbes in 2015) that provided full compatibility into the Windows 10 ecosystem. The challenge of a lightweight and ‘thin’ Windows 10 Surface tablet was not picked up by the Surface 4 family in 2016 or the new Surface family in 2017.
Now it looks like Redmond is winding up to throw another pitch to gain a foothold in the lower end of the market.
The move also comes in close proximity to Apple’s education focused event in late March, which saw the refresh of the entry-level iPad and Apple’s push into the educational space (although there are some serious questions about Apple’s understanding of the space).
Apple’s Chicago event also failed to update the educational support for the MacBook - in essence Tim Cook pointed out that while teachers may continue to use the macOS powered desk bound machines, all the action is going to happen in the walled garden ‘mobile’ space of iOS which has far more restrictive policies for applications and ties institutions into Apple’s cloud.
While Windows 10 in its many variants also maintains a connection to Microsoft’s cloud based services, these potential new Surface machines will have a significant advantage - they will be open to third-party programs outside of a walled garden, huge amounts of legacy support, and the machines will be easily transferable between users.
As Apple moves towards narrowing the options on the tablet front, Microsoft is using its Surface line-up to promote a similarly priced product that takes a more open look at the ecosystem.
Now read more about the latest Surface machine from Microsoft…
