Technology leader Microsoft is reportedly launching a new Surface tablet by October - part of its efforts to pose a worthy challenge to the mighty iPad, which will also be coming out with new models in the coming months.
Released in 2012, Microsoft's Surface product range has cornered only 3% of the tablet market, far behind heavyweights Apple and Samsung. Surface Pro's unique selling proposition was its having a Windows 8 desktop OS in a compact package while the Windows RT - powered Surface RT was groomed to compete head on with iOS and Android tablets.
Sales have been so poor that Microsoft was forced to make a couple of price mark downs in 2013.
Microsoft was earlier rumored to be developing Surface Mini, dubbed as the "best note-taking tablet" in the market, but the product was eventually scrapped.
Details of the specs have yet to be released, but reports state that the new Surface tablet will have a 10.6-inch display, Surface Pen support, and will be slimmer and lighter than its predecessor, the Surface Pro 3. Released in June 2014, the 12-inch Surface Pro 3 runs on a 4th generation Intel® CoreTM processor, has a 2,160x1,440 pixel resolution, and battery life that can deliver up to 9 hours of web browsing.
