Microsoft held a Reddit Ask Me Anything (AMA) event today where members of the Surface team, including its leader Panos Panay and Microsoft hardware head Julie Larson-Green. We have already reported that the AMA event revealed that a 4G LTE version of the Surface is due out in early 2014, but there are some other tidbits of information about the new tablets that were revealed as well.
Here are just some of the messages posted by Microsoft team members during the Surface Reddit AMA:
- In terms of trading in older Surface tablets for credit against buying the new versions, Microsoft stated,"... we"ll definitely discuss options w/ the MS Store team. we really don"t have anything lined up right now though."
- There were many people who didn"t care for how the power connector was designed in the first generation Surface. Microsoft stated in the AMA that has changes for the second generation products, saying " ... We spent a lot of time redesigning the profile of the connector, the part that you hold with your fingers. We designed it so it is much easier to position and insert it. We also redesigned the LED on the connector such that you can see its indicator from every angle."
- Microsoft indicated that the first generation Touch Covers will remain on the market for $79.
- When asked why Microsoft was "ignoring" Intel"s Atom processor for Surface tablets, Microsoft stated, "We don"t ignore. Intel is a great partner to us, and we continue to look at all roadmap options to bring you the best products possible. We are excited about the current products, and we think they meet the needs they were designed for. We will continue to evaluate options for the future.
- Microsoft dodged questions about whether or not it will release a smaller "Surface mini" tablet, saying only they are only talking about the products that were announced today.
- The markets that will get the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 on October 22 are Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. China will get the tablets in early November.
Source: Reddit | Image via Microsoft