If you had any doubt that Microsoft will announce a refresh its Surface hardware at its October 2 event tomorrow, you should rest easy. Microsoft has all but confirmed that the Surface will be going “back to black.”
While Microsoft initially launched its Surface RT and Surface Pro in a black-coated VaporMg build, the company eventually switched to silver. Microsoft more recently added more color options to some of its hardware, including the Surface laptop, and it looks like it will now add black to the color mix again, confirming earlier reports of the return of the color.
A Microsoft event listing scheduled for October 16 in Auckland New Zealand, spotted by WalkingCat and published on Windows Central, revealed that black will be making a triumphant return to the Surface lineup after an absence of several years.
“In April 2012, Microsoft launched the Surface RT, its sleek black chassis, detachable keyboard and integrated kick stand started a wave of innovation that has no signs of slowing down,” Microsoft detailed in its New Zealand event invitation. “Surface devices have inspired people to draw on their screens, work anywhere, collaborate across the world on 84-inch Hubs, crank the volume with dial and even float their all-in-one screen up and down with a zero-gravity hinge. It is safe to say the devices have come a long way in 6 years. But in October 2018, Surface goes Back to Black.”
That’s indisputable: Over the course of the past five years, Microsoft’s Surface has indisputably made your PC better.
Earlier rumors suggested that Microsoft may reveal updates to at least two Surface PC products. Updated versions of the Surface Pro and the Surface laptop are widely believed to be delivered at its October 2 event in New York City. Earlier rumors for the Surface Pro suggested that Microsoft may be working on a radical design for its detachable hybrid tablet, but more recently, it is speculated that Microsoft may not have the redesigned Pro completed in time for the October event.
It is likely that Microsoft will unveil more modest updates to the Surface Pro 2018, which has also been referred to as the Surface Pro 6. The update will likely come with newer processors from Intel, but at this time it’s unclear if Thunderbolt 3 or USB-C connectors will also be present. The first product with USB-C onboard was the Surface Book 2, which Microsoft unveiled earlier this year.
Other products that will likely get refreshed include the Surface Dial, which was also mentioned in the New Zealand invitation, and the Surface Studio, Microsoft’s all-in-one desktop solution that’s targeted at creative professionals. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait too much longer to see what Microsoft has been working on. The October 2 event kicks off at 1 p.m. PT, or 4 p.m. ET.
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