Microsoft Surface: 10 Best And Worst Changes
(click image for larger view)
Microsoft's ambitions to become a major maker of devices appear to be gaining ground. Several new tablets will join the just-announced Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 in the company's line-up, according to recent reports.The new offerings are expected to include a barrage of devices from Nokia, whose device business Microsoft is currently acquiring, as well as a smaller Surface-branded tablet that could debut alongside a Windows 8.1 update early next year.
Nokia will debut at least six new devices in October at its Innovation Reinvented event in Abu Dhabi, sources familiar with the company's roadmap told The Verge. The line-up will include at least one Windows RT 8.1 tablet, called the Lumia 2520, and at least two new Lumia smartphones, including the Lumia 1520 phablet, which earlier reports had pegged as a September release. The company has not yet been fully absorbed into Microsoft, but with the deal already in motion, it's possible Nokia delayed the 1520 so as not to distract from Microsoft's Surface announcement.
[ Microsoft has a lot to do besides fix its tablet lineup. Read Microsoft's Next Moves: 11 Takeaways. ]
Microsoft will add another device to the roster in early 2014, when it will launch a smaller Surface tablet. According to ZDNet, which cited inside sources, the so-called