Even though Microsoft's Surface tablets never found the success the company hoped for, Microsoft plans on launching two new models. New details have leaked regarding the Surface Pro 2.
Microsoft is a software company that has repeatedly tried to launch its own hardware in attempts to compete with its biggest rival, Apple. At the height of the iPod's success, Microsoft shocked its PlaysForSure partners by launching its own digital media player and platform, which included the Zune and Zune Marketplace. Companies such as Toshiba and Samsung created hardware that could play Microsoft's Windows Media DRM content in an effort to compete with Apple's iPod.
Microsoft watched as consumers shunned PlaysForSure devices and decided that it would battle Apple on its own by releasing its own Zune media player. The first-generation Zune had a lukewarm reception and was considered a failure, but Microsoft did not give up and released updated hardware it believed consumers would choose over the iPod. The Zune reboot didn't work and Microsoft discontinued Zune hardware in October 2011 and Zune software in October 2012.
When the company announced its Surface tablets it once again shocked its Windows licensees by directly competing with them, because it wanted to compete with Apple. The Surface RT and Surface Pro would allow Microsoft to go head to head with Apple and the tablets would also promote Windows 8 and Windows RT in the process. The company aggressively launched media campaigns and spent millions on trying to compete with the iPad, but just as consumers chose the iPod over Zune, they also chose the iPad over Surface. Microsoft is preparing to launch the Surface RT 2 and Surface Pro 2 to coincide with the release of Windows 8.1 to once again take a stab at Apple's tablet dominance. New details have leaked on what the company plans to use in the Surface Pro 2.
Neowin is reporting that the Surface Pro 2 will run Intel's latest Haswell-based Core i5 chips, which will provide a performance boost over the original Surface Pro and will also boost battery life, something the original Surface Pro was criticized for. The site also claims that Microsoft will double the RAM from 4GB to 8GB to further improve performance in the Surface Pro 2.
The publication further reveals that the Surface Pro 2 will have a "refined" kickstand, but it doesn't have a clear picture of how it will be different from the original. It suggests that it could be a more robust stand that is stronger or one that offers more viewing angles than the single one used in the Surface RT and Surface Pro. The site notes that the Surface Pro 2 will offer more than a modest upgrade over the original and that its design will be very similar to the current Surface models, but what's inside will offer a major boost in performance that Microsoft will educate consumers on with hopes of trying once again to create an iPad killer.
