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New Microsoft Surface Hardware Is Arriving Tomorrow (techcrunch.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the ready-or-not-here-I-come dept.

Microsoft is teasing a new Surface device announcement for tomorrow. The company tweeted out the leading question "Where will Surface go next?" along with an image of the full lineup -- the Pro, Laptop, Book 2 and swiveling all-in-one Studio. Each computer in the image displays 6:00 on Tuesday, July 10. TechCrunch reports: The big news will probably drop tomorrow, most likely in the A.M. So, what's on deck for the Surface line? Given that all of the key players are present and accounted for here, an entirely new entry seems like a pretty reasonable guess. Rumors of a new, low-end device have been making the rounds for a few months now. Back in May, talk surfaced of a new, low-cost entry, aimed at competing more directly with the iPad. That certainly makes sense from a Portfolio standpoint. Other rumors include the loss of the proprietary Surface connector, in favor of USB-C and "rounded edges." UPDATE: Microsoft jumped the gun and announced "the newest member of the Surface Family," the Surface Go. It starts at $399 and features a 10-inch display, integrated kickstand, and Windows 10. It is available starting July 10th and will ship in August.

73 comments

  1. ohhhhhhhh by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 3, Funny

    And the crowd goes mild.

    --
    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    1. Re:ohhhhhhhh by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      It does seem like something I could see getting my kids once they are old enough to move beyond their Fire tablets. I just got a HP 2in1 on clearance and it is a pretty fun form factor for portability and pen input (and unlike the Surface, it comes with the keyboard and pen). The battery life isn't super great, but it has a full i7 processor in it versus the atom processors in many of these products.

    2. Re:ohhhhhhhh by Wdomburg · · Score: 1

      I'll likely be buying two of these for my twins when they start high school next year. They're currently sharing a Surface 3 we picked up as a refurb a few years back, which has worked out pretty well. (Among other things, they use it for writing music using StaffPad so having a pen actually matters.)

    3. Re:ohhhhhhhh by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      We're in 2018. What classic Mac OS software do you still need to run? And if you absolutely need to, nothing is preventing you from running it inside a VM.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    4. Re:ohhhhhhhh by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      We're in 2018. What classic Mac OS software do you still need to run? And if you absolutely need to, nothing is preventing you from running it inside a VM.

      Final Cut Studio suite. Apple's sound suite. As well, I much prefer a Unix environment. .

      As for running a VM on Windows, there is no way I'm trading a 100 percent uptime machine to run brittle Windows ten - and put up with all of the regular failures it has?

      Interesting enough, I do run Windows 7 in Bootcamp on my personal Mac. It works pretty well. Not a VM of course, but pretty much the opposite of what you suggest.

      What I absolutely need - and this is the most important part - I need my machine to boot up, run it's software correctly, and make my schedule. Not spend a couple hours every so often troubleshooting and replacing drivers that Microsoft decided I need.

      I work on Windows machines. I do work on my Macs.

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  2. apple needs to step up. by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    apple needs to step up.

    Mac os is better then windows 10 ways but the hardware sucks and it very out of date with the same old pricing.

    1. Re:apple needs to step up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Its the other way around I work in a Window shop but use iphone and ipad because of the better hardware.
      --
      I'm so fat that I have my own channel

    2. Re:apple needs to step up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apple has the privilege of using an ARM processor, which means thinner, lighter devices with better battery life and good performance.

    3. Re:apple needs to step up. by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      apple needs to step up.

      Mac os is better then windows 10 ways but the hardware sucks and it very out of date with the same old pricing.

      I dunno - I don't mind the iMac Pro too much. But if that sucks - what are you running?

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    4. Re:apple needs to step up. by mccalli · · Score: 1

      Macs don't use ARM. The question is whether you want to compare this Surface to an iPad or to, say, the MacBook 12". Assuming you pick macOS rather an iOS as the comparison, even then it's not clear cut - the Surface is thicker and heavier, with a lower processor than the Core M. Both machines would run desktop OSs, but the Surface can act as a tablet with touchscreen too which the MacBook can't.

      It's really not that clear cut as to which is better or worse. For myself I stick with the MacBook for various reasons. If someone got one of these though, I certainly wouldn't be criticising - looks like. a nice machine.

    5. Re:apple needs to step up. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everyone has something different they look for in a system, but as someone who uses both macos and Windows every day, I am always surprised when someone says this. There is no real backwards compatibility in MacOS, the wifi is flaky, there are tons of missing settings, hardware compatibility is limited. Not to say it is bad... but it is no comparison to Windows. Linux does much better than macos these days.

    6. Re:apple needs to step up. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Macs don't use ARM.

      But they probably will soon. Apple likes competent suppliers and Intel has proven that they aren't that. They won't go AMD; instead, they will want something in-house. The only kind of core they have in-house is ARM, so ARM it shall be. iOS already runs on ARM, and iOS and OSX are based more or less on the same code, so the only disruption will involve changing binary formats. They can emulate x86 for a while, and then drop the emulator while people are still using it just like they did with 68k on PPC in order to induce more software sales :P

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    7. Re:apple needs to step up. by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      He's talking about Macs, not iPhones and iPads.

      Sent from my old mid-2010 Mac mini because Apple is not offering me any reasonable upgrade path.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    8. Re:apple needs to step up. by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      Here's another anecdotal evidence: I never had any Wi-Fi related problems with my mid-2010 Mac mini. Not once in eight years.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
  3. News? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Since when did an upcoming announcement become news?

    Wait until they announce something.

    At least when Steve Jobs was around there was some excitement about upcoming news events as something innovative might be announced, but no-one cares about minor hardware upgrades.

    1. Re: News? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is a step up from the usual political clickbait posts

    2. Re:News? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Apart from the creimertards, Slashdot is fine. It is my Internet home.
      --
      I'm so fat that I have my own channel

    3. Re:News? by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Since when did an upcoming announcement become news?

      Wait until they announce something.

      At least when Steve Jobs was around there was some excitement about upcoming news events as something innovative might be announced, but no-one cares about minor hardware upgrades.

      Yeah, those were the days, when Steve Jobs introduced new Windows products......

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    4. Re:News? by Known+Nutter · · Score: 1

      Don't be obtuse. AC's point was easy to grok.

      --
      Beware of the Leopard.
    5. Re:News? by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Don't be obtuse. AC's point was easy to grok.

      Don't confuse homor with obtuse. Here's your Whoosh!

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
    6. Re:News? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then you shouldn't confuse obtuse with humor either.

    7. Re:News? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is just a bought advertisement, just as the Apple announcement hype stories are. Nothing new. Fortunately this is also a overpriced yet crappy hardware bundled with vendor lock in firmware and a ton of spyware, so no need to buy one. Of course the device will get abandoned by MS in a week, so even if one would want buy one, he could not.

    8. Re:News? by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 1

      Then you shouldn't confuse obtuse with humor either.

      Obtuse can be humor, Coward

      --
      The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  4. Knockoffs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Those images look like some bad knockoffs of Apple products.

    1. Re:Knockoffs by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Duh! That's why I use iPad :)
      --
      I'm so fat that I have my own channel

  5. wtfc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    really, WTFC?

    Disclaimer: lost all respect for apple in the '00s when they ditched the PPC for (m)intel. May China be gentle when they take us..

    1. Re:wtfc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But iPhone and iPad is fine! :)
      --
      I'm so fat that I have my own channel

    2. Re: wtfc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What would you have had them do?

    3. Re:wtfc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Four hands. 'Nuf said.

    4. Re: wtfc by clay_buster · · Score: 1

      Yeah. The company saving move was real dumb idea.... PPC had no future at that time. Apple did that dual processor binaries for a while keep the PPC alive. It was a move the protected the customer for some period of time

    5. Re: wtfc by omnichad · · Score: 1

      And then they literally blocked the Rosetta software from running in newer OS versions, even ones that could probably still run it - making all legacy OS X software impossible to run.

    6. Re: wtfc by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And they might remove support for 32bit x86 programs any time (it isn't entirely clear).

  6. iMac Pro high start point / forced raid 0 locked by Joe_Dragon · · Score: 0

    iMac Pro high start point / with forced raid 0 locked to the MB. Also need cut the screen to change ram or you can apples ram markup.

  7. Oh joy! More broken stuff by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    At least tell us if there's any good news.

    Like . . . does it run Linux?

  8. Surface underwear and it interface porn sites... by Your+Average+Joe · · Score: 1

    yep, a new model just for porn sites. I has lots of VR and USB virtual interfaces. New markets and new roads...

    --
    Your Average Joe
  9. You mean the SUrface Go? It was announced today... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Um, the surface Go was announced today, by a bunch of tech sites:

    https://www.anandtech.com/show/13061/microsoft-announces-the-surface-go-smaller-and-less-expensive

  10. Another netbook yippee by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So a Prentium netbook in a 10 or 11 inch screen. Big deal, unless your completely dependent on a light and small netbook that’s inexpensive. Who else is going to buy it? Heck you can buy a Chromebook for about half that and still get portability and a decent keyboard. The Pentium line is not that much better then Celerons and some Celerons are quad core.

    1. Re:Another netbook yippee by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      My dad bought a used Surface 2 (wtf). I told him he gets security updates until 2023, I checked it. Maybe websites will break down earlier though (it runs Internet Explorer 11?) though they'll update certificates/encryption probably.
      Yes it's the failed ARM tablet! Version 2 was a somewhat high end improved one. Why get this? The screen is decent but the rationale was to have MS Office. I wouldn't care but here's a user who gets a web browser and Office.

      Regarding the CPU on the new one, go check it and it's a 6-watt, dual core quad thread Kaby Lake.

  11. ...yawn... by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 1, Insightful

    If it's microsoft, don't buy it. End of story.

    1. Re:...yawn... by David_Hart · · Score: 2

      If it's microsoft, don't buy it. End of story.

      Says someone who doesn't do any real work or play video games. For the rest of us Windows does just fine...

      the trolls are getting worse... in the not-so-distant past when a product was derided there was usually a cogent technical argument. Now it seems they get away with hating on stuff just because of pure bias...

    2. Re:...yawn... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

      Where do I want to go today?
      HELL!

      It's great to have an OS that vomits locations of installed programs all over a binary configuration database, and can't change them.

      Also one that has two settings programs with no real definition between them.

      Also one that can't even copy itself, let you back up easily, support longer filenames, or decent permissioning.

      Also one that ships with no useful CLI or development tools, doesn't work with the rest of the world.

      And to top it all, coming from a company with a long track record of predatory behavior, god-awful design, and zero customer service.

      Sign me up!

    3. Re:...yawn... by David_Hart · · Score: 1

      If it's microsoft, don't buy it. End of story.

      Says someone who doesn't do any real work or play video games. For the rest of us Windows does just fine...

      the trolls are getting worse... in the not-so-distant past when a product was derided there was usually a cogent technical argument. Now it seems they get away with hating on stuff just because of pure bias...

      FYI: I didn't mean to say that people don't get work done on other platforms, just that the majority of business is still carried out on Windows desktops, laptops, and tablets. I do see the underlying OS becoming much less important over the next 10 years as business apps become cloud-based.

    4. Re:...yawn... by David_Hart · · Score: 1

      Where do I want to go today?
      HELL!

      It's great to have an OS that vomits locations of installed programs all over a binary configuration database, and can't change them.

      Also one that has two settings programs with no real definition between them.

      Also one that can't even copy itself, let you back up easily, support longer filenames, or decent permissioning.

      Also one that ships with no useful CLI or development tools, doesn't work with the rest of the world.

      And to top it all, coming from a company with a long track record of predatory behavior, god-awful design, and zero customer service.

      Sign me up!

      You can change locations of programs in Windows. Granted, for non-advanced users, you need to re-install the app and select the new folder/drive during the install. However for advanced users, Windows does have junction points (the ability to mount drives and folders to other folders) so you could move a program anywhere and just create a junction point. I've used Junction Link Magic, a free third party app, to do this in the past. But it is also built into Windows. mklink is the Windows CLI tool for this.

      Windows has an Image tool for backing up your system. But you are right, it doesn't have a good backup tool out of the box. The Windows Eco system is built on paying for third party apps. Personally, I use Macrium Reflect. But there are other backup tools that have various levels of backups at different price points.

      Windows has supported file level permissions and long filenames for a while now. Not sure where this complaint is coming from.

      I can't comment on the development world since I'm not a developer. It does seem that Microsoft is trying to become more developer friendly with buying Github. At least, that's what it looks like on the surface.

    5. Re:...yawn... by ElizabethGreene · · Score: 1

      Also one that ships with no useful CLI or development tools, doesn't work with the rest of the world.

      Out of the box windows includes the PowerShell and DOS CLI. For development, there are C and C++ compilers in the free Win10 SDK. There is also the free edition of Visual Studio too, but that's a step beyond what I'd consider the OS.

      A reasonable response would be "but those things didn't used to be free." They weren't free on Macs for a long time either.

      Microsoft is changing. To ignore that and assume it's Balmer's business as usual is ignoring a major change in our industry.

      Full disclosure: I work for Microsoft, therefore my opinion is invalid.

    6. Re:...yawn... by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 1

      I do tons of real work, mostly engineering. And I don't use Windows. Ever.

    7. Re:...yawn... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I actually appreciate you responding so here goes.

      You can't really change install location "manually" since you are guessing - you cannot account for e.g. a program that uses multiple composition from registry keys. Add in multiple SKUs and this becomes difficult. Junctions exist, and I've used them for years, but it's a stretch to say they are supported in the same way as UNIX symlinks.

      Long filenames work to a point, and you can switch better behavior via a key. However by default, you cannot e.g. clone some complex git repos without getting this behavior (and I have a work repo that can be cloned, but leaves files you cannot delete from explorer, go figure).

      What would be neat is more evidence that they are changing - buying github is not it. Leave github alone and interoperate, fine.

      Ubuntu on Windows is a good step forward - now with care, I have created a single home sharing .ssh etc and from which I can git clone and rsync adequately (metadata support is not quite there, but hey ho).

      Fundamentally I don't want anything so locked down that I can't move systems or spend a lot of time when I buy a new machine (or add one - I use 4-5 machines regularly). Windows PCs end up as very bespoke installs.

    8. Re: ...yawn... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Windows has all of those things actually. I don't particularly like the cloud concept for my data, so i uninstall it, but One Drive, and any 8GB+ usb stick with the windows installer will get 99% of people a better result than a weekly/monthly-ish usb image backup. Why? Because One Drive and MS account defaults backing your stuff up. I uninstall it because (elitism) but it is there.

      Windows backup still exists if you want to run it manually, as does clonezilla and related third party options for crazy network pxe boot shenanigans if you want to claim a need for it. Or just DL a new, updated installer from Microsoft and run your previous build script to reinstall all your apps from your NFS/SMB/CIFS share, or reverse zfs mlnt and rsync it like a good little NIXie.

      As for Dev tools, you can install WSL, the windows subsystem for Linux and run apt to get whatever you think the Linux advantage is. Running X Windows under WSL on Windows is a little tricky, but not substantially harder than getting a valid config file for my 13" SVGA(!) monitor when Trident ruled the sea of video chipsets.

      The phone home shit is annoying, but not unique to MS. Apple and certainly Google doe more invasive stuff, but that is faint praise. You can even block it with apk level commitment of time and a hardware firewall if you want.

    9. Re: ...yawn... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Working for Microsoft doesn't make your opinion in tech invalid. Being a woman does.

      I kid, I'm not an incel with nothing better to do than troll all day. Just at lunch time.

      But I am surprised you didn't bother to mention WSL, the windows subsystem for Linux.

    10. Re:...yawn... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Even bad tools occasionally have their purpose. When I hear the term, "never", I assume bias.

  12. When its free and I can pick my own OS, call me.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Otherwise its just unwanted advertising!

  13. integrated kickstand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    features a 10-inch display, integrated kickstand, and Windows 10

    I guess the foam helmet is extra? :P

    p.s. When you're ready to remove the training wheels, Linux will be waiting.

    1. Re: integrated kickstand by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I installed Linux on my Surface... where's the games? The pro apps? This is all neckbeard vomit of software!

  14. Real Windows 10? by Chas · · Score: 1

    Or the craptastic jail cell of the tablet-only, Windows Store-only crap?

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
    1. Re: Real Windows 10? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you use Linux?

    2. Re:Real Windows 10? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      tablet versions are also all full versions. The RT version was discontinued around 5 years ago. There is a Windows S which is intended for schools and only runs windows store by default but is upgradable to other versions if you want. Not aware of any tablet only edition? perhaps you could show us your citation of this mythical windows tablet only version locked to store?

  15. Surface brand should die a painful death. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Having a S Pro 3 for 3 years now and suffering the joys of Microsoft Support I wish Surface will GO the trash can way. These machines proved to be very fragile and have real problems with the wifi/bluetooth hardware. When my wifi chip got fried for no apparent reason (my guess is that high temps around 70-80 C that the CPU gets when loaded may have smth to do with this - oh, and you loose bluetooth too as a bonus), eight months before warranty expiration, I contacted Microsoft Germany (i'm in Greece) for support. Being impossible to service (everything is glued - not a single screw on the chassis) they replaced the entire device. After being many months without it, replacement got sent after EIGHT months exactly the day the 2-year warranty ended (imagine that!) and after more than a 4-month Odyssey with various support people (4-5 I don't recall) through emails/phone.
    The replacement device is a refurbished one (of course no support) and they're asking for $150 for extended warranty plan. I'm so mad with MS I prefer to drop $1000 on a new device than to give a single dollar to the clowns.

    I do hope Surface brand will hit the trashcan real soon.

  16. "Comfort-of-a-laptop" lie by eminencja · · Score: 2

    I totally don't understand "Comforts of a laptop, convenience of a tablet" sales pitch. A laptop I can hold on my LAP. A tablet with this detachable keyboard needs to be placed on a table. So it's more like "Clunkiness of a desktop, convenience of a tablet".

    1. Re: "Comfort-of-a-laptop" lie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Surface Pro is quite comfortable to use on a lap, in fact better than a standard laptop since the detachable keyboard doesn't warm up and block heat transfer like a laptop body.

    2. Re:"Comfort-of-a-laptop" lie by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      These sorts of tablet 2in1s have a little kickstand, they work just fine in a lap.

  17. Who cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The company tweeted out the leading question "Where will Surface go next?"

    The real question is "why would anybody follow?". Wherever it goes, the stench of failing mediocrity in innovation is: turning leading technology into something that people regret having asked for.

  18. 10 inch netbook is news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So a 10 inch netbook with a Pentium mobile chip is news these days. Bet it will come with 10 S Mode enabled and not be anywhere near the performance of a Chromebook with a Quad core Celeron. I don't even like Chromebooks, but in my experience Win 10 needs a Core i CPU and no less and who in their right mind wants a 10 inch screen??

    1. Re: 10 inch netbook is news? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh noes! Windows S mode! Do you have any idea how hard it is to remove that? I mean you have to click like three different things in the UI and then all you get is Windoes Pro for $0 more. No boat, not a free car and you can't even run "sudo please make me a sandwich" and get a freshly grilled Philly cheese steak like you can with your Mom (if she's named Sue).

  19. yyyaawwwnnn by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Oh, what is this?

    A computer with a screen...hmmmm...well it looks like it does roughly as much as a raspberry pi, and roughly as fast given the OS overhead, it is 64 bit at least so I suppose I'll put that point in its favor.

    Thing is, a raspberry pi with a decent 10" screen runs you roughly 135$ (100$ for the screen). So what the hell is the other 165$ they want for? The terrible operating system that is data leaky like a spaghetti couldren? Maybe it is how the operating system locks up crashes, doesn't give you any control and probably fucks your dog while you sleep?

    Linux, embrace the future, do not let your house pets get raped.

  20. Re:iMac Pro high start point / forced raid 0 locke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ummm... I can't tell if this is a real answer or not. Translate at Google fails me. Anybody?

  21. racist! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How come the black Surface Go is 10" but the white Surface Go is only 5" and the Asian Surface Go is only 3"?

  22. Re:iMac Pro high start point / forced raid 0 locke by Merk42 · · Score: 1

    Ummm... I can't tell if this is a real answer or not. Translate at Google fails me. Anybody?

    iMac Pro high start point

    The starting price is expensive

    with forced raid 0 locked to the MB.

    the disk drives cannot be altered for different configurations, like one to prevent data loss.

    Also need cut the screen to change ram or you can apples ram markup.

    Upgrades are difficult or impossible or pricy.

  23. Does it run Linux? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have only 1 question, does it run Linux?

  24. It was doing so well ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... until it got to "and Windows 10".

    Pity.
    https://youtu.be/21h0G_gU9Tw?t...

  25. almost as exciting... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That is *ALMOST* as exciting as finding out that Dump took a dump in The White House.

  26. The old is new again by Nethead · · Score: 1

    So we're back to 10" netbooks. That worked out so well last time.

    --
    -- I have a private email server in my basement.