The tablet market has seen Apple’s iPad dominate ever since it was revealed to the masses, but this has not stopped hardware manufacturers from rolling out their very own takes on the tablet device with Android as the operating system of choice, offering an alternative to iOS. Well, there is a third pillar in all of the action, and it would be none other than Microsoft’s Windows platform. Microsoft’s hardware is more than decent, but somehow the company has not failed to penetrate the market with their offerings and dominate it, unlike the desktop PC. It looks like Microsoft might want to remedy the situation with yet another attempt by offering the Surface Pro 5 and the Surface Book 2.
Should the Apple iPad and Galaxy Tab range from Samsung quake and shiver at their knees with such news? Not really -- new hardware alone that is top of the line is not going to make people shift from one ecosystem to another, although this does not mean that the new Surface Pro 5 and Surface Book 2 are not going to turn heads.
Word on the street has it that the Surface Pro 5 will be a tablet hybrid device, where it will also carry a more expensive price tag than its predecessor (which would make it harder to shift units off store shelves as it is already) due to the amount of hardware thrown inside. Some say that the new Intel Kaby Lake processor will be running proceedings from within, delivering increased performance, improved battery life and superior file-transfer support. Surface Pro 4 owners might be tempted, since their Intel Skylake-powered tablet happens to wheeze through the day with a short battery life, while the USB connection is far from being efficient.
Country Caller touts an October release for the Surface Pro 5, and along with it, the possibility of a spanking new USB-C type connection in order to keep up with the times -- be it for more efficient data transfer or charging purposes. A product announcement does not automatically translate to its release, so 2017 might be the actual release date.
What about the Surface Book 2? That too, could be a new device that might be released later this year, although there has been rumors and leaks concerning the Surface Book 2 in recent memory. This is because Microsoft has begun to offer discounts as well as multiple schemes for the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 and Microsoft Surface Book. This move is more often than not an unspoken rule before a new device is being prepared for a rollout.
The Bitbag reports that Microsoft tends to slash prices whenever sales figures are less than impressive, or when a new device is in the pipeline. The more recent discounts for the Surface Book could be such a signal, where there is a $150 discount -- ditto for the Surface Pro 4. Apparently, the International Business Times claim that the Microsoft Surface Book 2 could arrive with a 4K resolution as well as 3D display. Despite the inclusion of such a display, it would most probably shed some weight, being slimmer and lighter than its predecessor.
If that is to be the case, we will just have to sit tight and wait. After all, these are just rumors, so do take them with a pinch of salt.
