Microsoft will hold its next major event at its headquarters in Redmond tomorrow, May 20 no to be available for viewing online, but many speculate that new Surface devices could be seen.
The event coincides with the start of Microsoft Build, the annual developer conference where company executives reveal the roadmap for Windows 11, Artificial intelligence features like Copilotand the Azure cloud service. Microsoft invested $10 billion in OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, which offered a quick look at the latest AI model this monthso we are waiting to know how ChatGPT-4o will be applied in Windows 11 and Windows 10.
At its special Surface event, Microsoft is expected to unveil the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6. Enterprise variants of both devices will be introduced first appeared back in March.
Surface Pro 10 for Business debuts with a new anti-glare coating on the screen that Microsoft says won’t diminish the feel of using the touchscreen with your fingertips or Surface Pen stylus
PRESS SERVICE OF MICROSOFT
The redesigned models are rumored to run on a new chipset co-developed with Qualcomm. Silicon will have a dedicated NPU, a neural processing unit, to accelerate artificial intelligence (AI) tasks in Windows 11. Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 will have a dedicated keyboard button for Microsoft’s Copilot AI assistant, a world-first change to the standard Windows keyboard layout with the moment of the appearance of the “Start” key back in 1994.
Qualcomm has suggested that its new chipsets will be able to surpass Apple, Intel and AMD in terms of performance, energy efficiency and battery life. At the much-anticipated Surface AI event, we’ll be able to test these claims and see if Microsoft’s next-generation Windows 11 devices can surpass recently launched MacBook Air M3 laptops from Apple.
In addition to the new Surface devices created by the Microsoft team, ASUS and Dell also showcased new AI-focused notebooks at the event. If you’re one of the millions of people still running Windows 10 — a number that goes in only one directionthen these AI-optimized laptops with big battery life improvements could be your reason to upgrade before the end of the support period.
The Surface Pro 10 for business and the Surface Laptop 6 for business were announced during Microsoft’s webcast back in March. The product line marks the first time Microsoft has released modified versions of its Surface devices for enterprise customers earlier consumer version.
While none of these PCs will be sold directly to customers (you’ll need to convince someone in IT at work to place an order if you want to get your hands on these brand new Surface gadgets), they hint for a few innovations, it will likely come to Surface hardware for everyone.
In the past, Microsoft’s ‘business’ range was almost indistinguishable from the consumer range, except that they were only available in fairly muted colours, came in plain brown packaging and couldn’t be found in stores like Amazon, Currys or Argos .
Externally, not much has changed with these new Surface devices. The only notable change from Microsoft’s previous generation hardware is the additional USB-C Thunderbolt 4 port on the Surface Laptop 6 for Business, which can also be configured with an optional smart card reader.
Microsoft has changed the font used on the Surface Pro’s detachable keyboard, beefed up the backlight and added a new Copilot key in the lower right corner
PRESS SERVICE OF MICROSOFT
The Surface Pro 10 has an improved 13-inch display that’s 33% brighter, which should make everything easy to see even in direct sunlight. There’s also a specially designed anti-glare coating that’s supposed to reduce glare. The resolution has not changed compared to the previous generation and is 267 pixels per inch.
Microsoft says the new coating won’t affect performance when using the “PixelSense”-branded touchscreen with your finger or the Surface Pen.
The latest generation of Intel Core Ultra processors should deliver a significant performance boost, with Microsoft touting the Surface Pro 10 for Business as 53% faster than the Surface Pro 9. But it’s not just the raw speed that will improve, with Microsoft promising up to 19 hours of battery life thanks to the efficiency of these new Intel chips.
The Surface Pro 10 boasts a new ultra-wide studio camera built into the panel, which Microsoft claims is “the best front-facing camera ever in a Windows 2-in-1 or laptop.” It offers a wide 114° field of view and records video in better than HD (1440p) for enhanced video calling.
There’s a new NFC reader inside the tablet and laptop that’s designed to make passwordless secure login easier than before, as you can tap an NFC security key — like the YubiKey 5C NFC — on the side of the device. A separate version of the Surface Pro 10 with 5G will be available later this year.
All Surface Pro 10 business devices will come with the improved Surface Pro keyboard. This snaps onto the bottom of the tablet using magnets to turn the tablet into more of a laptop.
Microsoft changed the font used on the keys to be bolder to improve visibility. There’s also improved backlighting and a new key that launches Microsoft Copilot …if you pay a monthly subscriptionthis.
Meanwhile, the Surface Laptop 6 for Business is available with a 13- or 15-inch screen. Both will be coated with the same anti-reflective coating used on the Surface Pro 10 for Business, which Microsoft says reduces reflections by as much as 50%.
Like its predecessor, the Surface Laptop 6 will be available with a 13-inch or 15-inch PixelSense touchscreen.
PRESS SERVICE OF MICROSOFT
Microsoft has also improved the webcam here, though it can’t match the quality of the Surface Pro 10. The upgraded front-facing camera records 1080p video and uses AI-driven Windows Studio effects to enhance your view during calls.
Windows Studio Effects is one of a number of artificial intelligence (AI) features built into Windows 11 that will be pushed to the new NPU processor in Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10, leaving more bandwidth on the CPU and GPU to improve the performance of other important programs. such as Microsoft Teams and Google Chrome.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10 contain the most recycled content Microsoft has ever used in a PC: the Laptop 6’s body is made from a minimum of 25.8% recycled content, and the new Surface Pro 10’s body is made from a minimum of 72% recycled materials .
“Both devices are even easier to service and repair thanks to built-in QR codes that provide convenient access to service instructions. In Surface Pro 10, we’ve also included internal labeling that identifies the number of screws and driver types needed for key components,” Microsoft says.
The Surface Pro 10 for Business starts at £1,199 and includes 256GB of built-in storage and 8GB of RAM. This can be configured up to a staggering 64GB of RAM. The Surface Laptop 6 starts at the same £1,199 with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of built-in storage.
GB News will have all the Microsoft Build news and Surface AI events from 20 May 2024. Stay tuned.