The awaited Microsoft-hosted event is underway or will be in a matter of time and many are already talking about what will be launched by the tech company. For the past months or so, the tech industry has been splattered with rumors of the next Microsoft Surface device or anything Microsoft for that matter. Of course, things will be a little clearer by the time the press conference, which will commence at 9:30 A.M. ET, is finished. For now, here's what's possibly in store for the Microsoft event.
Microsoft will be focusing on education as hinted by the "MicrosoftEDU" hashtag and the "Learn What's Next" tagline on the invites for this event. This indicates that the company will be releasing products aimed at students and will likely rival Chromebooks and such. For starters, Windows 10 will have a newer version which will directly compete with the Chrome operating system. The rumored version will either be called the Windows 10 S or Windows 10 Cloud. The new OS will supposedly help improve the hardware's battery life.
While the press conference will answer some lingering questions, many pundits believe that the ones centered on some eagerly anticipated hardware will stay unanswered. According to the majority of the rumors, Microsoft will not unveil the Surface Pro 5 at the event. Even the long overdue Surface Phone and Surface Book 2 may not be around later, as speculated by CNBC.
As The Verge reported, the hardware that will be presented at the event is designed to rival the Chromebook and Chromebook Pixel as well as Apple's iPad. While there's a chance that it may still likely be the Surface Book 2, some experts believe that the device will appeal to students more in terms of features and affordability.
Since the event later will be education-centric, it is unlikely that higher-end devices such as the three mentioned will be involved. However, the main reason why a Microsoft Surface 5 is not yet on the horizon is partly because of the supposed decline in sales (26 percent drop in revenue) involving Surface products. With that in mind, it would be completely foolish for Microsoft to force the launch of its next high-end Surface device. However, it's quite understandable why the industry is becoming restless. It's been almost 2 years since the Microsoft Surface Pro 4 was launched. As for the Microsoft Surface Phone, it will not be launched anytime soon because of what the company describes as its poor "mobile ecosystem". It seems like Microsoft's decision not to rush things s in line with its goal of making sure that the Surface devices it will launch later will meet everyone's expectations and will help propel its revenues back to a more respectable figure.
