Rumor: Microsoft is coming with cheaper Surface tablets with 10 “screen
Microsoft plans to release Surface tablets with a 10″ screen in the second half of 2018, starting at $400, Bloomberg claims. The tablets will have a kickstand and can be connected to keyboards, just like the Surface Pro.
Microsoft would like to compete with the iPad with the cheaper Surface tablets. With their 10″ screen, the Surface systems will be somewhat smaller than the Surface Pro models that Microsoft now offers, writes Bloomberg, which has a good reputation in the field of rumors about Microsoft and Apple.
The tablets that would appear later this year, like the iPad, would not have sharp corners. Microsoft would equip them with USB-C and the processor would be from Intel. The company would not supply them with a keyboard, mouse and stylus as standard, but would offer them as separately available accessories, just like with the Pro models. However, the prices of these parts would be lower than those for the Surface Pro accessories.
Variants of the tablets appear with 64GB and 128GB storage space and there will also be models that can connect via lte, claims Bloomberg. The models run Windows 10 Pro, which makes it clear that Microsoft focuses the tablets on the business market. The new Surface models would be 20 percent lighter, but also have a shorter battery life than the current variants.
The cheapest Surface Pro that Microsoft currently offers is the variant with 128GB storage, which costs 799 dollars in the US and 899 euros in the Benelux. Previously, the cheapest Surface system was the Surface RT tablet with Arm-soc, which cost $499 but was unsuccessful. A Surface Mini with 8″ screen did not appear after that. With a claimed starting price of $400, a 10″ Surface would still be slightly more expensive than an iPad, the cheapest model of which is priced at $329.
Microsoft has expanded its Surface line in recent years, and the latest addition is the Surface Hub 2. Surface hardware revenue increased 32 percent last quarter from the same period a year ago.