Panos Panay, Microsoft's Surface chief, has been confirmed to give a keynote presentation at the end of October in London where he's expected to unveil new additions to the Surface product line.
Microsoft Future Decoded Event Set For Oct. 31 To Nov. 1
The Future Decoded event will take place from Oct. 31 to Nov. 1, but unlike Google, which unveiled Android Oreo after the total solar eclipse because of the moon's similarity to that of an Oreo cookie, it doesn't seem that Future Decoded will have anything related to Halloween.
Microsoft confirmed Panay's keynote to The Verge. The company usually unveils new Surface-branded gear during October, and according to sources familiar with Microsoft's plans, at least one new device will be announced.
Possible Surface Upgrades
It's highly unlikely for this unnamed device to be what everyone's speculating about for a long time — the Surface Phone. For one, Microsoft has already killed the Windows Mobile platform, leaving all phones running the OS without any foreseeable updates going forward. Also, it already knows how tough it is to break into the smartphone market, which Apple and Google currently dominate more than 90 percent of.
Unless it does something absolutely radical that will change the mobile OS landscape, it seems impossible for the notional Surface Phone to capture any significant market given the state of things. So, don't expect a Surface Phone in October. Perhaps don't expect it at all, ever.
What users can expect, however, is an LTE version of the Surface Pro, which Microsoft itself promised a while back. Along with this, there might also be an upgrade to the Surface Book, its tablet-laptop hybrid, or the Surface Hub, its gigantic interactive display aimed at businesses.
The latest Surface Pro features upgraded performance with the Surface Pen. Upgrading the Surface Book line to support those nifty pen features will surely be treated by fans as a welcome update.
Microsoft might also give more information about the ARM-powered Windows 10 laptops it plans on launching. It's tapping third-party manufacturers to make these laptops, though it remains unclear if the company intends to create one of its own as well. It did confirm that partners are still on track to release devices with Qualcomm processors.
The Surface Studio, Microsoft's all-in-one desktop PC, is almost a year old, and its graphics are sorely outdated. There's a slim chance this could see a refresh, even if only in the internals department. The design could remain the same.
Feel free to speculate on what Microsoft might unveil at its October event! As always, sound off in the comments section below!
