News & Reviews:   Microsoft Surface Pro

Microsoft has just confirmed that new Surface devices will be introduced during the coming Surface Event on the 2nd of October, such as the new AMD Surface Laptop, new Intel-based Surface Pro 2-in-1 that comes with an upgraded processor and USB-C, and also the new ARM-based Surface 2-in-1 device.

Today, Microsoft Malaysia has announced the arrival of the Surface Pro and Surface Pro Signature Type Cover. The Surface Pro's starting price is RM3699 and it's now available for pre-orders in selected local Surface authorised retailers and Lazada.com.my.

After Apple and its iPad Pro it looks like everyone is jumping onto the productivity tablet bandwagon, as Samsung officially announce their Samsung Galaxy TabPro S tablet powered by Microsoft Windows 10 and a 6th Generation Intel Core M processor. Like the iPad Pro, the Galaxy TabPro S follows many of the designs of the original Microsoft Surface Pro range including a keyboard cover and Bluetooth Pen stylus. No Malaysia release dates or pricing details yet but it is expected sometime around February 2016.

In Microsoft's recent "small gathering" the company went on to reveal the largest Surface tablet to date with the official announcement of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 tablet. While we thought the "small gathering" hint was pointing at a Surface Mini tablet it was in fact about the Surface Pro 3, which is probably the thinnest tablet in the Surface range. Going for a magnesium casing like the Surface Pro 2, this super thin tablet features a 12-inch display but is 100g lighter than the Surface Pro 2. The bigger screen has a resolution of 2160 x 1440 resulting in 216ppi pixel density. 

The Microsoft Surface Mini remains one of those as of yet unannounced rumours but Microsoft have since come out with an invite for a "small gathering" on 29 May 2014, hinting that they could be announcing the Surface Mini tablet there. Currently, rumours have the Microsoft Surface Mini sized with a 7.5-inch display with 1440 x 1080 pixel resolution and 4:3 Aspect Ratio to compete directly with the Apple iPad Mini. Previous versions like the Microsoft Surface and Surface Pro use a 16:9 Aspect Ratio. Other tech specs and features include an NVIDIA Tegra processor, Windows RT, 2GB of RAM, 32GB / 64GB of storage and no built-in kickstand. It is expected to have WiFi and LTE versions. The dealbreaker remains the pricing though as the other Microsoft's other Windows RT installed tablets only started selling well when they hit below RM1K pricing. Again, no news on Malaysia pricing or release dates but stay tuned for more developments.

Microsoft Malaysia recently announced the arrival of the Surface 2 here in Malaysia at a price tag of RM1399 for the 32GB version and RM1699 for the 64GB version. Tech specs for the Surface 2 look to be upgraded somewhat with a 1.7GHz quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor but it is still running Windows RT 8.1. Additional accessories like the Type Cover 2 or Touch Cover 2 cost RM409 and RM379 separately. The Surface 2 should be available after 14 March 2014 but it's announcement has also meant a price cut for the existing Microsoft Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets. The 64GB Surface RT tablet has been discounted down to RM1199 from RM1399 while the 128GB Surface Pro is now RM1899 from RM2749. Considering the slightly lower pricing for the Surface 2, we expect the Surface Pro 2 to go for around RM2649 making the current Surface Pro tablet a very tempting choice for those looking to get an older but powerful Windows 8 tablet.

Diversifying what you can do with your Microsoft Surface 2 or Surface Pro 2 tablet is Microsoft's new touch covers, one of which is the new Surface Remix Project which has resulted in the Surface Music Kit cover. Compatible with the Microsoft Surface 2, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro tablets, the customized touch cover features a set of sliders and buttons similar to those on a DJ's mixing table. When attached to the aforementioned tablets, the accompanying mixing app installs automatically, allowing you to mix a song complete with vocals, drums, bass and keyboards as well as other templates. The custom cover is pressure sensitive so you can have a more intuitive experience controlling beats, instruments and vocals. The app syncs beats per minute automatically and also provides mixing recommendations while also exporting resulting mixes into MP3, WAV or WMA formats. DJ and Linkin Park member Joe Hahn has also been invited to act as the Surface Remix project product ambassador while the #RemixProject competition has a free Surface 2 + Surface Music Kit combo for creative Vine video submissions on remixing your life. Microsoft eventually hopes to see other Touch Cover possibilities come from this with many interesting creations already in development which you can see from the videos in this article.

We've been hearing rumours about the Intel Haswell refresh of Microsoft's Surface tablet range for months, so it comes as no surprise when Microsoft officially announced the new Surface Pro 2 tablet. While the new version packs in a better 4th generation Intel Core i5 processor it also adds in tech specs and features which include 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB storage options, 4GB to 8GB of RAM and a 10.6-inch full HD ClearType HD display. The new Intel Haswell chips increase battery life by up to 75% and the Surface Pro 2 adds on new cover options such as the Power Cover which includes a 30wh battery to help extend battery life even further.

In line with the Intel Haswell revamp of the Microsoft Surface Pro tablets, the Surface RT line of tablets gets a revamp as well in the form of the new Microsoft Surface 2 tablet. Featuring Windows 8.1 RT and running on a new NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, the Surface 2 is thinner, lighter and faster. Other tech specs include a microSD card slot, a USB 3.0 port, 32GB and 64GB storage along with a 10 hour battery. The new Touch Cover 2 keyboard is also very much updated including backlit keys, 1092 sensors and is 1mm thinner than the original Touch Cover. Other features include a free pre-installed Microsoft Office 2013 RT suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, One Note and Outlook RT along with 200GB of free SkyDrive cloud storage for up to 2 years and one year's worth of International Skype calls. Pricing in Malaysia hasn't been determined yet but we estimate the Surface 2 to be at $449 (RM1437) for the 32GB version and $549 (RM1757) for the 64GB version. For more information check out the Surface 2 site.

It's been a while since we said that the Microsoft Surface Pro would be coming to Malaysia, and now it has done just that. Unlike the previous Surface RT, the Microsoft Surface Pro uses a full (not crippled) Windows 8 Pro operating system. The base model for the surface pro starts from RM2749 for the 64GB version and RM3049 for the 128GB version. Thankfully, pricing remains quite close to the US pricing, with not as much change as certain other products. As a plus, it is about RM200 lower here than the price of the Microsoft Surface Pro in Singapore.