The official Microsoft Surface Instagram account posted a provocative photo yesterday, showing off what appeared to be a version of the upcoming Surface Book 2, with a revamped hinge and sleek black finish. Nice, right?
Well don’t reach for your wallet just yet. It turns out the photo is likely a cropped version of an earlier promo image for the current (matte silver) Surface Book according to Windows blogger Rudy Huyn. In a tweet earlier today, Huyn compared the image Microsoft posted to one distributed last year as part of the initial promotional campaign for the first generation Surface Book. Looks like the Surface team rotated and cropped the concept image but otherwise it’s identical.
Hey @verge and @windowscentral, sorry but it's a promo image of the original Surface book… ;) pic.twitter.com/jTav2tJjwv
— Rudy Huyn (@RudyHuyn) August 29, 2016
Replies on Twitter instantly took a turn from excitement to disappointment as the news spread. The Verge, which was quick to speculate about a next-gen Surface Book, updated its news post to reflect the new information. But the original source, Windows Central is sticking to its guns – and there might be a good reason for that.
Sure the image does appear to be from an earlier promotional campaign, but according to Windows Central, the image is reportedly being used internally at Microsoft as part of a “sizzle reel” for the Surface Book 2. So there’s still a slim hope you might be able to get your hands on that slick black version when the new Surface Book hits store shelves.
The original Surface Book debuted last year to decent reviews, praising Microsoft’s first laptop for its innovative two-in-one design which brought together the best of laptop and tablet design in one stylish (matte silver) package. The device has since been plagued by intermittent network failure and “hot bag” sleep and power management issues, some of which have been solved by recent firmware and software updates.
This whole minor controversy might actually be good news for fans looking longingly at the black Surface Book 2.
Whether or not the image is just a clever crop or an internal promotional item, the minor scuffle on social media has left one thing abundantly clear: there is definitely an appetite for a black Surface Book 2.