Microsoft"s Surface RT, seen above, could get a smaller version later this year.
Rumors of Microsoft making a smaller Surface tablet began circulating earlier this year, though no release date had been revealed. Now it appears the tablet could launch this year, sometime after the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 release.
In a roundup of the Windows tablets expected to launch this holiday season, Paul Thurrott reported the tablet will "ship this year, but a bit later than the new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2." Microsoft announced a Surface-related press event for Sept. 23, where it"s expected to formally reveal the new tablets. The tablets will likely be launched on Windows 8.1"s Oct. 18 release date or shortly thereafter.
Thurrott claims the smaller-sized Surface tablet will feature an 8-inch screen, as he"s previously stated. An earlier report from The Wall Street Journal claimed the tablet would feature a 7-inch screen, though that was never corroborated.
The small Surface tablet is expected to run Windows RT 8.1 and feature a Qualcomm processor, Thurrott states, which is in line with previously reported specifications of the tablet. Neowin previously reported the Surface 2 will have a Tegra 4 processor, though its 8-inch sibling is expected to feature Qualcomm"s Snapdragon 800 chipset.
Source: Paul Thurrott"s Supersite for Windows | Image via Microsoft