Microsoft Targets ‘iPad Mini’ With Plan To Unveil ‘Surface Mini’

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Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) is set to officially unveil the Surface Mini tablet later this month. On Monday, the personal computer maker sent out invitations for a Surface event, which is set for May 20th at 11:00 am eastern standard time.

The company’s chief executive officer Satya Nadella will preside the event.

Rumors of Microsoft’s Surface Mini

The Surface Mini has been rumored about for some time. The smaller budget-friendly tablet could range anywhere from 7 inches to 7.5 inches to 8 inches. It could also be named Xbox Surface as a way to enhance the whole Xbox gaming experience. An older report summed it up, “Leaks from June indicated that the Xbox Surface would be a companion device tethered to Microsoft’s Xbox. SmartGlass, aka the Xbox Companion 2.0 application that Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) introduced earlier this year and just rolled out this fall, supposedly would be a key component. GeekWire’s Todd Bishop discovered earlier this year that the Microsoft’s SmartGlass trademark applied to both software and hardware, so it seemed there was still another shoe… or tablet… to drop.”

Possible specs for Surface Mini

Other purported leaks point towards a 7 or 8 inch tablet with stylus pen. Last month, there was a report Microsoft would release a tablet with pen input that supports Wacom digitizer or something similar. If this rumor is true, Microsoft Surface Mini will compete directly with other note taking tablet devices.

Without a doubt, the tablet will likely make debut sometime this year. Whether Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) officially unveils the anticipated tablet at this month’s upcoming press event or not remains to be seen. Recent rumors indicate the device will arrive this spring so it is likely to debut soon.

Windows 8 also got a recent update that allows desktop users to switch to touch-based operating system. This new feature automatically detects the device used (tablet, laptop, or desktop) and adjust the settings to match.

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