A video of an open Surface machine loops on the Microsoft event page with the title, 'join us to see what’s next.' It’s fairly self-explanatory as far as invitations go, though the press invitation clearly spells out that it intends to talk about devices and Windows 11. After all, the event is less than two weeks before the official Windows 11 launch on October 5.
The event is taking place virtually at 8am Pacific Time / 11am Eastern Time / 4pm UK. It will be broadcast on the Microsoft event page as well as its social media channels, so everyone can watch – as has become the standard right now.
Various rumors have suggested that we will see a replacement of the Surface Pro 7 or the Surface Book 3. There’s even been talk of a new Surface Duo – the dual-screened device that sits somewhere between a phone and a tablet.
While all the existing line-up is due to be upgraded to Windows 11 on its launch, it makes sense that Microsoft would announce some new models that can really make the most of the new operating system. So with that in mind, it could be that we’re in for a glut of new devices on the 22nd. Here’s what I think we’ll see.
- Microsoft is unifying its OneNote apps for Windows
- Microsoft Windows 365 Cloud PC service is now ready for rent
- Google Chrome beta adds new cloud gaming features
Microsoft Surface Pro 11
The machine in the event video is definitely a Surface Pro but whether it is a replacement for the Intel based Pro 7 or the Qualcomm-based Pro X is still unclear. The latest Intel chipsets are more mobile friendly so perhaps we’ll see a return to these, as Microsoft did for the business-only Surface Pro 7 Plus. While this could be called the Pro 8, surely having the chance to match the new OS with an 11 is an opportunity too good to miss?
Microsoft Surface Book 4
The Surface Book is due for an update but the form it will take is up for debate. Windows Central believes that the name will be changed completely and that this will become a pro version of the Surface Laptop. The current Surface Book 3 differs from the Surface Laptop due to its removable keyboard design but with that function increasingly covered by the Surface Pro models, a Laptop Pro model could make more sense.
Microsoft Surface Duo 2
Perhaps the most interesting possibility is a new version of the Surface Duo. The original model ran on an Android platform but this dual screen set up is precisely what Windows 11 is designed to cope with and would be a great chance to show off some of those new features – including the Amazon app store.
We’ll give you more details on the event as they happen on September 22.
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