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The Surface Pro 3 launch event dominated the news this week. This was the event at which Microsoft took the wraps off the follow up to the Surface Pro 2, touting it as the device that could replace your laptop. If you were wondering how the new generation compares to the preview two in terms of raw specs, we had the lowdown for you — we even threw an iPad Air and Macbook into the mix for good measure.
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Microsoft released a Surface Pro 3 video showing off the new kickstand as well as the brand new stylus. The stylus is a big selling point for Surface Pro 3, and a calibration tool is in the works to allow for tweaking and tailoring.
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The new convertible tablet got us all very excited here at WinBeta. We can’t wait to get our hands on one to put through its paces, and it seems were not the only ones who like what we see. There is a slight wait for anyone looking to buy one, but pre-orders start now. While there was a lot to get excited about at the New York event, it wasn’t good news on all fronts.
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Rumors that we might not see a Surface Mini turned out to be true, with the suggestion being that the device as not deemed to be different enough to its rivals. It could still be the case that there is a Surface Mini in the pipeline, but for now we can only speculate about just why it did not appear at the same time as its big brother. There are rumors circulating that there are already a number of Surface Minis that have been produced, but there’s no word on when they might be available to buy.
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Looking further ahead, Windows 9 Preview could appear in the middle of 2015 — so, barring any leaks, there’s only a year to go until we can get our hands on the code and see what the future of Windows is like. We may only recently have updated our handsets to Windows Phone 8.1, but Windows Phone 9 is just around the corner and there’s a chance that we could get hands on with this operating system in the first half of next year as well. In the meantime, Windows Phone 8.1 will keep us content for now, and Microsoft has a video that show why.
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Windows 8 has been banned on government computers in China but Microsoft will continue to work with the country in other ways, showing there are no hard feelings. When not on the receiving end of a ban, Microsoft was busy implementing bans of its own as it decided to block certain companies from attending the upcoming World Partner Conference.
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Xbox One is now available without Kinect for those who don’t feel the need for the device, or anyone looking to step into the world of Xbox One a little more affordably – and it seems to be going down well. It wasn’t all about taking away from the Xbox One this week, though; the June update adds support for external drives, allows for the use of real names, and adds new SmartGlass features.
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This week also saw Microsoft celebrating becoming the fourth most valuable brand in the world and successfully fighting an FBI National Security Letter.
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More to come over the next seven days!
\n\nFurther reading: Surface Pro 3, Windows 9
