Surface 2.0 specs revealed

According to the report, the Surface 2 will run Intel’s latest line of chips, a Haswell based Core i5. In addition, the RAM will receive a considerable bump, being doubled 4GB to 8GB. The battery life of the Surface Pro 2 will go from the current four to five hours to up to seven hours. Finally, while the device will look similar to the current Pro, Microsoft has ‘refined’ the kick-stand that ships with the device.

But both are predicting it won't change much from current Surface Pro pricing, meaning it could start around $799 (U.S.) if Microsoft matches the recently reduced Surface Pro price.

Surface Pro 2 is expected to come with Windows 8.1 preinstalled. Like the first-generation Surface, it will offer users the ability to run existing desktop apps, as well as new Metro-Style/Windows Store apps.

Microsoft took a 900 million dollar write-down recently, but that hasn't stopped Microsoft from dropping prices for the Surface RT and Surface Pro, along with its accessories, as of late. We learned recently that Microsoft had dropped the price of the Surface RT and Surface Pro by nearly $150. Microsoft also dropped the price of the Surface Touch Cover to $79. On top of that, Microsoft has also dropped the price of the Surface RT and black Touch Cover bundle by $50.

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Windows Blue Is Now Officially Called Windows 8.1 & Free

The head of the Windows division at Microsoft officially confirmed that Windows Blue will be a free update to Windows 8 that will be available for download from the Windows Store. This should be music to the ears of many who feared that this may be a paid upgrade.

And not just that, Windows Blue is now officially known as Windows 8.1.

Tami Reller also confirmed that the update will also arrive for the company’s Windows RT platform.

There was more than a fair chance that this upgrade would indeed be free, but there were some voices that suggested Microsoft may charge additional money for existing Windows 8 customers. Nevertheless, it is nice to see this rumor quashed into oblivion.

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Microsoft confirms Windows 8.1 public preview next month

Microsoft is to release a public preview of Windows 8.1 for anyone who has Windows 8 during BUILD 2013 in June. Head of Windows Engineering at Microsoft, Julie-Larson Green confirmed this today during the Wired Business Conference.


According to previous tips and leaks, Microsoft is close to completing what's believed to be the second internal milestone build, known as the Milestone Preview, of Windows Blue. Shortly after that, Microsoft is expected to make its one-and-only Windows Blue public preview available to consumers.

Earlier this week, Microsoft officials said to expect the company to make Windows Blue available by holiday 2013. I am still continuing to hear Microsoft is on track to release to manufacturing (RTM) Windows Blue by August 2013 or so.

Larson-Green emphasized -- like her Chief Financial Officer counterpart Tami Reller -- that Microsoft plans to be "principled but not stubborn" with coming modifications to the Blue update. Neither Larson-Green nor Reller promised that Microsoft would add back the Start Button to Windows Blue, but neither of them ruled out this possibility.


"The Start Button might be helpful," Larson-Green acknowledged during her remarks at the conference, and provide users with more of a "comfort level." She did note that the team has had "meaningful discussions" about bringing back the Start Button, but users shouldn't interpret that as meaning the old Start Menu would be coming back.

She noted that the Start Button today is basically hidden. "Some would like it showing up on the screen all the time," she said.

Source: ZDNet