Microsoft New boss Satya Nadella set to unveil new Surface tablets
New Microsoft boss Satya Nadella is set to unveil the firm’s latest attempt to take on the iPad next week – despite two previous models flopping.
Microsoft is expected to unveil the third generation of its Surface devices at an event on Tuesday, laying hints that it will also introduce a smaller tablet, to address the fast-selling lower end of the market dominated by Apple’s iPad mini, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Google’s Nexus and Samsung’s Galaxy range.
Microsoft’s Surface, launched in October 2012, has about 2 percent of the market and has not made a dent on Apple’s iPad.
The tablet is likely to run on Intel’s Haswell processor, the chip maker’s newest power-optimized processor for PCs. This hints that it will be a Surface Pro rather than a new Surface RT tablet, which uses a different processor made by Nvidia that’s optimized for mobile devices.
Microsoft is also holding an event on May 20 in New York City, presumably to unveil a new mini version Surface tablet. The invitation asks media to “join us for a small gathering.”
“Microsoft would be nuts not to have devices in the mix. The danger is in not exploring,” said Gownder. The Surface “is an important product to basically show what their overall vision is for Windows, and also to offer businesses and consumers another choice.”
