Three new Microsoft Surface tablets to launch in 2013? - TrustedReviews

In the wake of the recent Microsoft Surface tablet release, new reports have suggested Microsoft could expand its own-branded hardware offerings next year with three new and varyingly sized Microsoft Surface tablets tipped for a 2013 release.

The latest Microsoft Surface rumours, which have appeared courtesy of Twitter tipster @MS_nerd, who has proved accurate in the past, have suggested that Microsoft is readying three new slates for next year: an 8.6-inch Microsoft Surface RT 2; a new Microsoft Surface Pro to replace the existing model; and a large Microsoft Surface Book tablet with a 14.6-inch screen.

According to the claims, the Microsoft Surface RT 2 will use a Qualcomm chipset rather than the Nvidia Tegra CPU used in the current Microsoft Surface RT. The second generation Microsoft Surface Pro will up the screen size from 10.6-inches to 11.6-inches and swap its Intel Core i5 CPU for the upcoming AMD Temash APU. The Surface Book, meanwhile, will have an Intel 22nm Haswell chip – the successor to the current Ivy Bridge range of CPUs.

It's an interesting set of rumours, particularly because it suggests Microsoft is eschewing the "small tablet" end of the market populated by the likes of the Google Nexus 7, iPad Mini and Amazon Kindle Fire HD in favour of larger models. A 14.6-inch tablet sounds rather unwieldy to us, so if this rumour is accurate it'll be interesting to see if it's pitched more as a laptop than a tablet.

With neither the Haswell nor the Temash chipsets due out until mid-2013, and Microsoft having only just launched the first generation Microsoft Surface RT model (the Microsoft Surface Pro is due in January 2013) don't expect to see any of these models until late on in the year – if indeed they are coming out at all.

Do you think Microsoft will go down the larger tablet route for its next batch of Surface models, or is the future more compact? Share your thoughts on the matter with us via the Trusted Reviews Twitter and Facebook feeds or through the comment boxes below.

Via: Neowin