Microsoft is reportedly gearing up to launch the successor of the Surface Book — dubbed the Surface Book 2 — in the coming month.
The Surface Book 2 will reportedly be debuting in April and will sport a new "clamshell" design according to reports.
The Surface Book laptop amazed everyone with its detachable display, but it is likely that Microsoft would bypass this functionality, which enables the conversion of a laptop into a tablet, in its Surface Book 2.
The latest information comes courtesy of a report from DigiTimes which reveals that the new Surface Book from Microsoft is being mass produced. The publication cites reliable sources in the supply chain.
"The sources believe Microsoft is likely to announce the new notebook at the end of March or April. The new Surface Book is expected to adopt a clamshell design instead of its traditional 2-in-1," notes the publication.
Surface Book 2: Rumored Features
In addition to not adopting the conventional 2-in-1 design and opting for the clamshell look, the Surface Book 2 will reportedly boast a framework that is made of a magnesium-aluminum alloy.
The Surface Book 2 will reportedly stick to the 13.5-inch display. The laptop and tablet hybrid nature of the Surface Book is possibly being discontinued due to the design clash with the Surface Pro.
The starting price of the Surface Book 2 will likely be lower than its predecessor. It is anticipated that the price of the new product will be around the $1,000 mark.
This is considerably lower than the starting prices of the Surface Book, which range between $1,499 and $3,199.
Why The Lower Price?
According to sources, Microsoft has decided to keep a lower price range for its Surface Book 2 because the previous versions of the device did not have much demand. This was largely due to the Surface Book's steep pricing.
Both the high price and the functionality of the Surface Book may have caused discontent among users. Therefore, these two reasons may have limited the sale of the Surface Book to only 500,000 units in 2016.
The affordable price of the Surface Book 2 is perhaps a last ditch effort to increase the demand and if it happens, then Microsoft may be able to ship up to 1.5 million units of the laptop in 2017 which is a huge difference from the current annual shipments statistics.
It seems that Microsoft is altering its marketing strategy with the Surface Book 2 in a bid to lure more consumers.
The proposed move toward a clamshell design could also be motivated by the pricing concerns. If the company eliminates the 2-in-1 feature, it could possibly bring down the pricing of the Surface Book 2.
It remains to be seen if the Surface Book 2 indeed arrives in end March or early April as rumored.
