Microsoft chief Panos Panay has finally ended rumors about the launch of a new Surface Pro device in his recent interview with CNET. According to the corporate vice president for Surface Computing at Microsoft Corp, the company will unveil the device when it has achieved enough "meaningful change" to make it a new product.
There is no such thing as a Surface Pro 5
He explained that they are looking for an experimental change that will make a huge difference for Microsoft's iconic device. Panay added that there is "no such thing" as a Surface Pro 5 as of the moment.
Microsoft's Surface chief says not to expect a Surface Pro 5 any time soon $MSFT https://t.co/76sCClzdhs pic.twitter.com/d9K6KhNJRP
— Business Insider (@businessinsider) May 8, 2017
Rumors of the alleged device circulated months ago when the first details emerged about a possible Pro 5 unit running on Intel's new Kaby Lake processors. However, it is highly likely that the Redmond-based tech giant is mulling plans to refresh its Surface Pro 4 units with upgraded specs.
Furthermore, Panay's statement coincides with the company's upcoming hardware event in Shanghai, China on May 23. Allegedly, Microsoft will announce a new device and unveil a new Pro 4 variant. The company chief's use of the Surface suggests that the tech firm might tweak some of the device's hardware, but until then, we're not sure if he's just playing an elaborate PR stunt or if he is telling the truth.
New Surface Pro Will not have USB-C
According to Forbes, the upcoming Pro 5 will allegedly ship with Intel's latest Kaby Lake chips. Moreover, Paul Thurrott, a renowned Microsoft-watcher, noted that his sources supposedly believes that the rumored device will not have a USB-C power connector. Rather, it will have the Pro 4's current power setup.
Moreover, the rumors point out that the company is putting its cards on cloud-based services and its Windows 10 operating system. It means that the team behind Surface Pro devices does not need to push for a new Pro unit.
Unlike Apple, Microsoft does not need to sell hardware for people to buy its OS and its cloud-based services.
The company's current goal is to provide its users with the latest hardware that is compatible with software-based innovations on its Windows 10 platform and other related services. It isn't precisely the news that fans want to hear, but judging from Microsoft's penchant for surprises, we may still see a Surface Pro 5 device soon.
