We heard more than a month ago that the next Surface Pro will be a huge disappointment, and now we’re hearing the same thing again. In fact, it sounds like Microsoft is taking the same tactic with the Surface Pro as Apple did with the iPad this year.
Don’t expect much from the next Surface Pro
According to well-known leaker Evan Blass, also known by his Twitter handle @evleaks, Microsoft isn’t planning on doing much of an upgrade to the Surface Pro this year. There’s been lots of speculation about the Surface Pro 5, but Blass said in a post on Venture Beat that this year’s model will simply be called the Surface Pro, without a number.
The tablet will look pretty much like its predecessor, which bore the number 4 and was released in late 2015, but apparently even Microsoft doesn’t feel that it’s enough of an upgrade to warrant giving it the number 5. The company is planning to give the internals of this year’s model a slight bump up, however, according to Blass.
You may recall that Apple did the same thing with the iPad this year too by releasing a new model simply called the iPad without a number or anything else after it. Like this Surface refresh, Apple’s iPad refresh was nothing more than a tiny bump up in specs.
Is there anything else?
Blass said Microsoft will reveal the new Surface Pro during an event in Shanghai on Tuesday. Unfortunately for those who were hoping for more goodies, it doesn’t sound like it will be chock-full with new gadgets and gizmos. For example, he said there won’t be a new Surface Book shown off at the event. The previous model was released in 2015 at the same event as the Surface Pro 4.
However, the well-known leaker did say that there will be some new pens and keyboards in four colors that are similar but not the same as the color options offered for the Surface Laptop.
