Skip to main content

Microsoft’s spring Surface event could feature Surface Laptop 4 and new webcam

It could shape up to be a busy spring hardware season for Microsoft. The company is rumored to be launching a new webcam, as well as the Surface Laptop 4 and other peripherals, at its next Surface event in a few weeks, according to Microsoft watcher Brad Sams.

Details are naturally scarce, but it is believed that this new webcam could sport a privacy cover, as well as support for high dynamic range video. This would be Microsoft’s first external webcam since the 2006 release of the Lifecam, which is actually still available for purchase.

Related Videos

The more important rumor, though, is the mention of the Surface Laptop 4. Sams believes that the Surface Laptop could be refreshed at this event.

The timing would make sense, as previous leaked specs sheets obtained by the German blog WinFuture revealed that the Surface Laptop 4 could come with Intel’s latest 11th-generation processors under the hood, as well as options for AMD’s 4000 Series Ryzen processors. Additionally, for the first time, both sizes of the laptop could have options for either processor. Previously, only the 15-inch model featured AMD’s processors.

With many people still working and learning from home due to the pandemic (and with the boom for Microsoft Teams videoconferencing in mind,) a refreshed or new webcam for consumers from Microsoft would not be too surprising. It would pair up as a great accessory to enhance the Teams experience on Microsoft’s existing products like the Surface Laptop Go or the Surface Pro 7+.

However, Sams believes the new webcam might not support 4K. Microsoft has been working on webcams since 2019, according to Sams, with a product code-named “Bari,” though it is not related and is a “deviation” from what is expected to be revealed.

We’re not certain when this event will be held, but we do know it’s going to be all virtual and not the traditional in-person hardware extravaganza in New York. Microsoft has canceled all in-person events through the end of this year and is said to be considering breakout digital news events for each of its products, like Windows, Xbox, and Azure.

Editors' Recommendations

Microsoft will launch ChatGPT 4 with AI videos next week
ChatGPT AI bot running a phone.

ChatGPT has been inescapable in recent months, and it looks like Microsoft is about to upgrade the AI tool with an update that could thrust it into the spotlight once again. That’s because the company is set to launch GPT-4 as early as next week, and it will potentially let you create AI-generated videos from simple text prompts.

The news was revealed by Andreas Braun, Chief Technology Officer at Microsoft Germany, at a recent event titled “AI in Focus -- Digital Kickoff” (via Heise). According to Braun, “We will introduce GPT-4 next week … we will have multimodal models that will offer completely different possibilities -- for example videos.”

Read more
Windows 12: the top features we want to see in the rumored OS
A laptop running Windows 11.

Windows 12 might be in development at Microsoft, at least according to the latest rumors. A leak from Intel made mention of Windows 12, and with a new Windows Insider channel promising cutting-edge versions of the operating system, it seems Microsoft is eyeing the next major release.

Windows 11 is less than two years old, but reports say Microsoft could release Windows 12 as soon as 2024. Microsoft hasn't made any official announcements yet, but it's still not too early to get a wish list going. Here's what I want to see out of the next major version of Windows.
A set Windows 12 release date

Read more
Apple could soon put an M3 chip in its worst laptop
Fortnite running on a Macbook M1.

Apple’s MacBook lineup is full of great laptops, but the 13-inch MacBook Pro really doesn’t feel like it belongs. Yet a new report claims Apple will update that device with an M3 chip later this year instead of simply killing it off.

The news comes from 9to5Mac, and the website says its sources have confirmed the 13-inch MacBook Pro is going to get a refresh with a new M3 chip, potentially at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

Read more