Skip to main content

Microsoft confirms it’s working on something small, maybe a 7-inch Surface tablet or smartwatch?

Microsoft Surface in store windows 8 tablet rt
Image used with permission by copyright holder

More rumors about a sub 10-inch Windows tablet is on the way. Peter Klein, Microsoft’s chief financial officer, said yesterday, “We…are working closely with OEMs on a new suite of small touch devices powered by Windows.”

Speaking at their third-quarter earnings call on Thursday, went on to state how the new devices were made possible by their “latest OEM offerings designed specifically for these smaller devices.” Aside from “competitive pricing and availability in the coming months,” Klein didn’t offer any new info: no specs, no team names, no display sizes or materials, no nothing. Most of the rumor buzz seems to be around a 7-inch Windows tablet, but this could be anything. How about those smartwatches we reported on a little while back?

Recently, the Wall Street Journal did report that Microsoft was working on a 7-inch Surface, so we could be wrong about them launching a whole new line of wearable devices. That said, even with these new tablets rumored to be here by about the end of the summer,  there’s no telling what else Microsoft has up its sleeve in regards to hardware by the year’s end.

The time might be wrong for super-small screens, and a watchband device could be easily marketed as part of the Windows Phone / Laptop / Tablet family. The possibilities for a drastic decrease in licensing fees for Office and Windows were reported in March, so this might be Microsoft giving some smaller hardware manufacturers a shot, whether it’s a watch or just a cheaper, smaller tablet line.

Whatever Microsoft has in the works, it’s looking at a monumental year. With the next Xbox rumored to be out by the holidays, and the potential for two new mobile hardware lines, Microsoft is on-track for one of their biggest years they’ve ever had. The jury’s still out on that, but frankly, we’re more excited by the prospect of finally getting computer watches.

Editors' Recommendations

Saul Berenbaum
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Saul Berenbaum has been writing film and gaming reviews since college. Recently, he contributed to HardcoreDroid. Now he…
The most innovative tablets of 2023
The Google Pixel Tablet was the most innovative tablet of 2023.

This was a big year for the entire mobile tech space, but it proved to be especially interesting for tablets. Yes, tablets! Although they aren't as flashy and exciting as they were 10 years ago, numerous companies proved this year that tablets can, in fact, still be innovative.

There were three tablets, in particular, that stood out to us as being something special. The tablets on this list aren't perfect, but they all pushed the market forward in new and exciting ways. Without further ado, here are our selections for the most innovative tablets of 2023.

Read more
The most innovative smartphones of 2023
The OnePlus open was the most innovative phone of 2023.

It’s been an interesting year for smartphones. Though it may seem that phones have plateaued, we still got some genuine surprises in 2023 from names that you may not have expected. These phones stood out from the rest in some form, proving that you can still do something fun and exciting with a smartphone.

So, sit back and relax, take a sip of that delicious cider or hot cocoa, and take a look at the most innovative smartphones of 2023.

Read more
The most innovative smartwatches and wearables of 2023
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 is the most innovative wearable of 2023.

The opportunity to use a smartwatch or similar piece of wearable technology has been around for years, and the best products you can buy today provide plenty of insight into your health and wellness, let you use apps and receive notifications from your smartphone, and you can even make and receive calls.

But that doesn’t mean a few don’t stand out from the crowd, providing interesting and unusual features you won’t find anywhere else. We’re going to highlight them here with our picks for the most innovative wearables of 2023.

Read more