Surface Elite: Will MSFT ever merge the Pro and the Book?

I believe others have brought up idea when the Surface Book was first introduced but with it being the season of reflection and forward thinking and the Microsoft hardware release coming this spring I had this image stuck in my mind. An image of Surface Book and Pro merging into one product.

Before I continue I don’t believe and cannot imagine Microsoft will unveil this product this spring. I imagine Microsoft possibly going this route over the next 3 years.

The product I am dubbing the Surface Elite was be simply a Surface Pro with a 13.5″ screen. This device would mate to a line of various attachable keyboard bases i.e. laptop base with a dGPU or a lighter type keyboard for lighter / more mobile use cases. I feel that the similarities between the Pro and the Book make it possible for Microsoft to merge the product lines if they wanted to.

This image also lead me to imagining a more mobile version, aka the Surface Mobile. A device half the size of the Elite (think a A5 sheet of paper). It could be Microsoft’s Windows on Arm flagship tablet with similar keyboard bases as the Elite.

It would be a cool (I think anyways) line of semi-modular products if Microsoft were to follow my crazy ideas.

What do other see Microsoft doing with their Surface products in the future?

Conversation 3 comments

  • 5664

    Premium Member
    15 January, 2017 - 11:13 pm

    <p>I think there’s going to be an ARM-powered lightweight device before we see another new top-end model. Not necessarily an inexpensive model, mind you, as the point of the Surface line isn’t cheap.</p>
    <p>But MS will want to show off ARM-powered Windows PCs, and "Surface 4" is the perfect place to do it.</p>

  • 4964

    17 January, 2017 - 3:37 pm

    <p>A&nbsp;modular product line would be great. Image a Surface Pro that becomes a Book with addition of a battery/graphics base or docked into a Studio Screen…</p>
    <p>I suspect the weight lap tipping problem prevented that option with Pro4/SBv1 but if the tablet part went to ARM…</p>

    • 639

      Premium Member
      17 January, 2017 - 4:50 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#37176">In reply to </a><a href="../../../../users/robincapper">robincapper</a><a href="#37176">:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>This could work if you had an ARM chip in the tablet and a second one in the base.&nbsp; When docked, they work together.&nbsp; In tablet mode, you would still have a powerful chip but not as heavy and with more battery life.</p>

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