Last week, we reported that the Microsoft is planning to launch an affordable Surface tablet with Windows 10. Meanwhile, more information about this upcoming device has appeared online.
The report claims that the upcoming Surface tablet is designed with a focus on schools and educational institutions.
The rumoured Surface tablet will be powered by Intel’s processor and it will offer all day long battery life, Wi-Fi as well as LTE capabilities, USB-C port for ultra-fast charging. In addition, Microsoft is also working on cheaper Surface Accessories including Surface Pen and Surface Keyboard.
It appears that Microsoft is still committed to the affordable devices and it certainly makes sense to target students.
The Surface tablet will feature a 10-inch screen and the design won’t be identical to the Surface Pro 2-in-1 devices lineup. The device will be powered by Windows 10 Pro and it’s likely that the Windows 10 S Mode (a slightly stripped down version of Windows) will be offered for free given the lower hardware specs.
The report from Bloomberg claims that Microsoft’s Surface tablet will be 20 percent lighter than the Surface Pro laptops. The hardware specs won’t be as good as existing Surface Pro lineup and it’s likely that the software giant will make the battery smaller.
Microsoft is expected to introduce a cheaper Surface tablet later this year and more information will appear online in the coming weeks or months.
It goes without saying that Microsoft aims to compete with Apple in the tablet segment with its upcoming Surface device. Microsoft is already competing against Apple in the 2-in-1 market, but the software giant doesn’t have any direct rival to the iPad Pro. The most affordable iPad is available for around $400, while the Microsoft Surface Pro base model is priced around $799, so it’s pretty clear that the affordable Surface tablet will be the software giant’s answer to Apple’s iPad.
We’ll soon see how Microsoft is going to compete with Apple’s recently launched iPad 2018. The whole story would be up-side-down if Microsoft managed to launch this affordable tablet with Windows 10 ARM. Let us know your thoughts in the comment below.