Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has just unveiled the Surface 2 tablet, calling it “the most productive tablet ever built.” VP Panos Panay showed off the new Surface Pro 2 and Surface RT 2 tablets, both of which look a lot like the previous models. One major difference though is in the kickstand of the two tablets, which now offers two positions instead of just one.
Microsoft improves Surface tablet internals
Panay called the new Surface Pro the “fastest product you’ve ever used” and said they have improved the tablet’s graphic performance by 50 percent. He also said they improved performance by 20 percent, making it “lightning fast.” Most of the improvements in the performance, graphics and battery came from Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC)’s new Haswell processors.
Other big improvements in the Surface Pro tablet include better speakers and a better battery life. According to Panay, they improved the battery life on the Surface Pro even beyond the improvements offered by Intel’s Haswell chips. He said they also made it cooler and quieter with a 75 percent improvement over the previous model.
Microsoft unveils the Power Cover, PC docking station
He showed off something they called the Power Cover, which is basically a battery keyboard. With that keyboard, Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) was able to offer 2.5 times the battery life. The new cover is basically a 30 wHr battery cover which clips on in a way that’s similar to the Type Cover offered with the previous model. Amazingly enough, it is still very thin, just like the Type Cover.
Panay also showed a PC docking station, highlighting how the Surface Pro 2 can be a workstation instead of just a tablet. It has three USB 2.0 ports plus one 3.0 port, a mini display port, Ethernet, audio and power. He said the docking station enables users to power two monitors and offer “massive resolution.”
Other features added to Surface Pro 2
They also showed off the tablet’s camera and video editing app. It shoots raw 6k footage and offers editing software. Panay says they targeted the tablet at those using it on movie sets. He said the color hue can even be adjusted in the video editing app on the Surface Pro 2.
He also said they now offer four color choices in the Type Pad so people can personalize it. The new Type Covers are 1 millimeter thinner than the previous version. They also improved it to enable users to type faster and added backlighting to the cover.
The New Surface Tablet
The new Surface tablet (not the Pro version) apparently received an even bigger update than the Surface Pro. It has faster full HD and a full 1080p display. The new Surface is three to four times faster than the previous Surface RT. It also has a 25 percent better battery life than the previous model.
He showed off the tablet’s amazing ability to do multiple things at the same time, like play Halo and run Office. Office is free on Surface, and they now have 100,000 apps available on Windows 8, compared to the 10,000 they had last year.
