Microsoft’s Surface Mini is a much needed addition to the Microsoft tablet portfolio to help capture that lower market price point. According to a Focus Taiwan report we should expect to see Microsoft’s new Surface Mini tablet arrive in Q4 (October-December) of this year. Additionally the expected price point of such a tablet is to be $299/ €230 though Microsoft is still in discussion with 2-3 Taiwanese ODM producers about the device. Microsoft obviously wants to get the best deal so is “shopping around” to see what Taiwan can offer.
With a Q4 release it is likely that the Surface Mini will spearhead the official Windows 8.1 release (and possibly a separate Windows 8.1 RT release if there is one). The device is expected to have a 7.5 to 8 inch display and be powered by a low-power Intel Atom x86 processor. The tablet would be designed to compete with Apple’s iPad Mini.
We will bring you more details on the Surface Mini as we get them. What do you guys think about the Surface Mini? Will it be able to compete against sub-8 inch tablet favourites like the iPad Mini and Nexus 7 which have been mainstays of the tablet market for quite some time now?
Image courtesy of Microsoft
I love the fact that it is expected to have an X86 processor which is what makes Windows 8 tablets interesting atleast for me.
Agreed, my RT was interesting but the limitations imposed on the ARM version of the OS were too restrictive and ultimately let the device down badly. Had the lower end Surface tablets been Atom powered from the start, they could have actually been more of a contender in the market.
Yeah, this could be interesting.
If Mini Pro(which is what they are saying is $299 then RT is $150? They also need to fix the kickstand angle.