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Microsoft Unveils Surface 2 And Surface Pro 2, Tablets Will Utilise Windows 8.1 OS

At an event held in New York yesterday, Microsoft announced a twofold follow-up to its flagship range of Windows tablets entitled Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. The tablets, which are slated to hit the market October 22nd, will take advantage of Intel's new Haswell processor thereby boosting battery life by 75%. Panos Panay, the company’s Vice President of Surface, has explained the device as a high-end PC under the portable hood of a tablet.

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At an event held in New York yesterday, Microsoft announced a twofold follow-up to its flagship range of Windows tablets entitled Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. The tablets, which are slated to hit the market October 22nd, will take advantage of Intel’s new Haswell processor thereby boosting battery life by 75%. Panos Panay, the company’s Vice President of Surface, has explained the device as a high-end PC under the portable hood of a tablet.

“We improved the performance on this product by 20 percent. If you thought it was fast before, it is lightning fast now,” Panay stated. “This is power. This thing’s a beast [and will incorporate] the full power of a PC.”

In the vein of Apple’s iPhone 5S and 5C, the latest edition of Microsoft’s tablet will be available in two distinct SKUs; with pricing beginning at $449 (£359) and $899 (£719) for the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, respectively. The standard Surface 2 will be available with two memory options, either 32GB or 64GB, while the technically superior Surface Pro 2 will have a wider selection of choice, particularly 64GB ($899/£719), 128GB ($999/£799), 265GB ($1,299/£1,039) all the way up to 512GB ($1,799/£1,439).

In terms of the technical minutia, the Surface 2 & Pro 2 will feature USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0 and two 720p cameras to name but a few. Crucially, the company has addressed the much-maligned kickstand for the tablet, which will now allow for two different angles – specifically, a 55 degree angle in addition to the familiar 22 degree position. Both SKUs will use Windows 8.1 OS and feature 10.6-inch displays with the ability to render 1080p video. Not only that, the Surface 2 is, according to Panay, faster than 95% of laptops and the graphical performance has witnessed a 50% enhancement over its predecessor.

In addition to the announcement, Microsoft detailed a series of accessories for the tablet range including a new docking station, a Power Cover keyboard – which has a built-in battery that allows the Surface Pro 2 to last twice as long as the original Windows tablet. The company also stated that the device is now available to pre-order through Microsoft’s online store and bricks-and-mortar outlets.

Tell us, what are your initial impressions of Microsoft’s new line of tablets? Are you interested in the company’s portable ‘full power PC’? Let us know in the comments below.