Microsoft has poured cold water on the prospect of an imminent Surface Pro 5 launch.
Speculation about the long-awaited Surface Pro 5 announcement has been rife in the approach to Microsoft’s annual Build conference this week. Many expected the US-based computing giant to show off a brand new Surface Pro hybrid, but it seems that won’t be the case.
Speaking to CNet, Panos Panay, CVP for Surface Computing at Microsoft, confirmed that “there’s no such thing as a Pro 5” at the current time.
“When it’s meaningful and the change is right, we’ll put [the next generation Surface Pro] on market,” Panay explained.
He continued: “Meaningful change isn’t necessarily a hardware change, which is what a lot of people look for. They’re like, ‘where’s the latest processor?’ That’s not what I mean. I’m looking for an experiential change that makes a huge difference in product line.”
Panay added that the Surface Pro 4 is a product that “is going to by competitive for five years”, and that “you’ll see that same meaningful impact when Pro 5, or Pro Next, hits the market”.
That will come as sour news to Surface fans who will have been waiting years for an update to the Surface Pro range. Microsoft’s last entry to the line-up was the Surface Pro 4, which was announced on October 6, 2015, and released about three weeks later.
However, Microsoft hasn’t given up on Surface completely, with the firm having only just announced the new Surface Laptop at a Microsoft Education event earlier this month. The laptop runs on Microsoft’s new and lightweight Windows 10 S operating system, and costs £979/$999.
