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Carmel, Libra, and Andromeda Are the Next Wave of Surface Devices: Report (thurrott.com)

Posted by msmash on from the up-next dept.

Brad Sams, writing for Thurrott blog: To help grow to the footprint of the brand, Microsoft is working on updates to its existing products as well as a couple new offerings. I was able to view a few pieces of internal documents that outlined some of the future plans of the Surface brand that identify previously unknown codenames for upcoming products. The Surface Pro 6 is internally known as Carmel, the upcoming low-cost Surface Tablet is going by the name of Libra, and then, of course, there is the Andromeda device that we have been talking about for many months. The Libra tablet is likely the device that Bloomberg reported about earlier this year; a low-cost Surface tablet slated for 2018. The Surface Pro 6 (Carmel) does not list a shipping date and considering that Microsoft only recently released the LTE variant of the Surface Pro 5, this product may not arrive as soon as many have hoped. That being said, a refresh of the product is in the pipeline and actively being developed. And then there is Andromeda; here is where this gets a bit more interesting. According to the documentation, the device is scheduled to be released in 2018. Microsoft thinks of this hardware as a pocketable device to create a truly personal and versatile computing experience.

18 of 38 comments (clear)

  1. Sealed devices. by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sealed, non-upgradable, non-repairable devices costing near or over $1000? No thanks. I can get a real laptop for that price -- why buy a crippled device?

    1. Re:Sealed devices. by Miser · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Yup. I was going to mod you up but then of course couldn't reply.

      No more Surfaces here. Microsoft de-supports them too quickly, can't repair them (requiring the extended warranty) and they act "goofy" for no apparent reason - just this morning someone with a Surface Pro 3 had it "shut off" for no apparent reason and had to do the "un plug" "re plug" "stand on your head dance" to get it to come up again. No more. The blame lies squarely on Microsoft as it's both their hardware and operating system. You'd think it would just work, right? (sarcasm intended)

    2. Re:Sealed devices. by oakgrove · · Score: 1

      I made the mistake of buying a Surface Pro 4 a while back. The shit wouldn't wake up from standby half the time, necessitating a hard reset. Imagine that. A tablet that has to be constantly reset. Back to Costco. That was the end of that and now I'm back to the T420 for good.

      --
      The soylentnews experiment has been a dismal failure.
    3. Re:Sealed devices. by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Thin, small, high end device costing over $1000? Yes please. Why carry a brick for a repair I will never do, or an upgrade it won't ever need?

      Seriously though upgradability? Sounds like a throwback to the 90s. Repairability? That's what warranties are for, and the device that takes the most abuse (keyboard) is removable.

      I'll stick with being crippled thanks.

    4. Re:Sealed devices. by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      You say this like the 90s were a bad thing...

    5. Re:Sealed devices. by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      No I'm saying like I'm glad I have a choice unlike the 90s where all you got was beige boxes and rectangular bricks. I can count the number of times I've upgraded a serious laptop on the none existent fingers of a quadruple amputee.

      Many of us don't give a crap about that kind of thing. Many of us also live in countries where strong consumer protections mean those strange things you call "extended warranties" aren't even offered, we just call them warranties.

      Use cases differ. Enjoy carrying around your luggable. Personally I can't stand using the serious laptop work issued me

    6. Re:Sealed devices. by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      LOL. My "luggable" is 2.5lb, which is about the same as a Smurface Pro + keyboard + case to protect the fragile glass screen is. And yes, I've upgraded the memory. As well as moving the SSD to an identical laptop when I dropped one and it broke.

      "Use the cloud," you say. I prefer to be cloudfree -- I don't want my data to be MS's or Google's to mine and play with without me consent. And yes, I do make backups, but it's a lot faster to swap an SSD than restoring from backup...

    7. Re:Sealed devices. by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Case? Way to go. Why not just say you've never seen the product.

      And yes, I've upgraded the memory.

      What a strange man.

      "Use the cloud," you say. I prefer to be cloudfree

      I'm cloud free too. That doesn't mean I don't have a sync solution to a service I control. MS? Google? See yourself out and turn in your nerd card at the door.

      but it's a lot faster to swap an SSD than restoring from backup

      I'll race you: Reinstall windows because of the hardware swap vs take an existing version of windows, and install one app that live syncs. Seriously you make it so hard on yourself. I don't get it.

    8. Re:Sealed devices. by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

      Windows 7 deals fine with a swap to identical hardware/mobo. At worst, it needs to be reactivated. 10 also seems to have a way to reactivate -- don't know about 8/8.1, never run this cr@p.

      I mostly use desktop Linux anyway, which doesn't whine about a hardware swap at all.

    9. Re:Sealed devices. by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      Windows 7 deals fine with a swap to identical hardware/mobo

      Nope, your specific scenario luckily worked for you. Most windows installations (including the Windows 7 ones I've done myself) tend to nuke themselves.

      I mostly use desktop Linux anyway, which doesn't whine about a hardware swap at all.

      And you wonder why you don't understand the hardware desires of the common man.

  2. Re:None of which will I ever purchase. by David_Hart · · Score: 1

    I don't see any point. Firstly, because it's Microsoft, of which I'm not a great fan so to say. Secondly, because the only purpose of this chase to sell new devices is to keep up falling profits. Tablet devices are no longer a novelty and new models do not bring any breakthroughs in functionality. They only serve the manufacturer and harm budgets of customers for naught in return.

    Your bias is showing.... personally I'm glad that Microsoft entered the Windows tablet market.

    The Surface tablet line isn't a tablet in the sense of the iPad, Android, etc. It's a full fledged Windows laptop in tablet format. I have the Surface Pro 4 and love it. I haven't used my Dell XPS 13 in over a year. The Surface Pro 4 has a MicroSD card slot and a USB connector. Which means no special adapters needed for backing up my photos, connecting to USB devices, etc.

    As for breakthroughs, if you completely ignore the advancement of lower power high-end processors, then yeah, nothing new to see here... However, if you want an I7 Windows tablet that runs all day, then you might want to pay attention.

  3. What a hash of code names by SuperKendall · · Score: 1

    That is a truly crazy mix of code names, from candy to astrology to astronomy?

    I wonder if such a non-cohesive set fo code names reflect a similar lack of product direction underneath...

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:What a hash of code names by CanHasDIY · · Score: 2

      That is a truly crazy mix of code names, from candy to astrology to astronomy?

      Carmel is a place.

      Caramel is a candy.

      --
      An enigma, wrapped in a riddle, shrouded in bacon and cheese
  4. Re: They're not for you. by tigersha · · Score: 1

    They are also for people like me and my coworkers. People who go out organizing a conference or workshop and needing a few presentation machines. People using them to run the controls of an industrial device which is usually on a desk, but sometimes it is REALLY useful to get up with the controls in your hand to set up things in detail. People who use he laptop in a lab with the pen to take notes on a lab logging program and walk around with it.

    I love the Surface. And I say that as a Mac Fanboy who generally dislikes MS (but do not hate them).

    --
    The dangers of excessive individualism are nothing compared to the oppressiveness of excessive collectivism
  5. Re:None of which will I ever purchase. by RalphSlate · · Score: 1

    Tablets fill a really important niche. They are far better than a phone for casual web browsing. They offer a lot more space for various applications. They are obviously mobile. I have a great Netflix experience with them while sitting in a room without a TV.

    I was on the iPad path, but got totally fed up once my iPad-2 became completely unusable about 2 years after I bought it, which was about 2 years after my iPad-1 became completely unusable. I bought a Surface 3 a little over two years ago, and it still works perfectly, my only complaint is that the battery life is getting short. I don't want a laptop - I already have a powerful desktop to run various apps, and I also don't want to squint and look at my phone all the time while I'm not sitting at my desk.

    Plus, the keyboard-cover of the surface makes it really stand out from an iPad, and I was able to pick up a low-cost dock so that I can bring my surface to work for segregated usage.

  6. Re:None of which will I ever purchase. by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

    Tablets fill a really important niche. They are far better than a phone for casual web browsing. They offer a lot more space for various applications. They are obviously mobile. I have a great Netflix experience with them while sitting in a room without a TV.

    I was on the iPad path, but got totally fed up once my iPad-2 became completely unusable about 2 years after I bought it, which was about 2 years after my iPad-1 became completely unusable. I bought a Surface 3 a little over two years ago, and it still works perfectly, my only complaint is that the battery life is getting short. I don't want a laptop - I already have a powerful desktop to run various apps, and I also don't want to squint and look at my phone all the time while I'm not sitting at my desk.

    Plus, the keyboard-cover of the surface makes it really stand out from an iPad, and I was able to pick up a low-cost dock so that I can bring my surface to work for segregated usage.

    For what you describe, my cheap little go to breakfast computer, a Windows tablet convertable by insignia works great. Cost a bit over a hundred.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  7. Re:None of which will I ever purchase. by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

    I don't see any point. Firstly, because it's Microsoft, of which I'm not a great fan so to say. Secondly, because the only purpose of this chase to sell new devices is to keep up falling profits. Tablet devices are no longer a novelty and new models do not bring any breakthroughs in functionality. They only serve the manufacturer and harm budgets of customers for naught in return.

    This. I wanted an inexpensive Windows based Tablet with Keyboard. So I could hab bought a Surface. Oh - but there is that inexpensive part. So my new breakfast semi disposable computer is a ultra cheap Insignia. Works well for Web and email, and if it breaks I don't give a damn.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  8. Re:Marketing dollars at work by zlives · · Score: 1

    you are missing out, try the MS anal mouse today.