Looking Ahead to October 6th, Microsoft Might Have Another Surprise

Next week, Microsoft will be hosting an event in New York where it is expected that they will announce a number of new products. The company will show off the follow-up to the successful Surface Pro 3, likely known as the Pro 4, at least two new Lumias, the Band 2 and possibly something else.

The two new Lumias, which you can see here, are a given considering that Microsoft already posted them to their own website. The high-end devices will finally fill a void that has existed in the company’s mobile lineup for nearly a year and give its fans a phone that should be able to compete with the new iPhones and Nexus devices.

I’ve also heard that there are other phones too, although it is not known if they will get any stage time, for the lower range phones that many are referring to as the 550 and 750 series devices. Those phones are lower speced and will come with lower price points to complete the entire refresh of the Lumia lineup but their release dates are not known.

The Band 2, which has also leaked, will be a refresh to the Band 1 that was a hit out of the gate. The updated fitness peripheral should be a bit more ergonomic, thanks to its rounded display, and the external materials appear to be nearly identical to those of the existing device. Pricing will be an interesting thing to pay attention to as well, the Band 1 was initially sold for $199, and I wonder if the company may try for a more competitive price point to help promote their own Health apps.

Even if they do keep the $199 price point, which isn’t too high for what you get, the market is heavily saturated with fitness devices from Fitbit, Jawbone Samsung, Apple (the Sport watch is targeted as a premium fitness device) and many others. So if the company wants to create some noise, a lower price of entry would be welcomed but I don’t see them going any higher than this figure.

Then there is the Surface Pro 4, which for the majority of people watching the keynote, is the most anticipated device. The tablet will come with Intel’s new chips, some form of support for Windows Hello and expect other evolutionary upgrades. Don’t forget, Microsoft said that Surface Pro 4 would work with Surface Pro 3 accessories, so don’t expect to see a radical design change but the company could increase the display size inside the same shell.

Then there is the Xbox, rumors earlier this year said that we would see an Xbox slim at this event, per my understanding, that is not the case. That product, more details in later post, is scheduled for 2016, and is not quite simply an Xbox without a media drive in it.

But what if there is something else, something that hasn’t been leaked yet that could raise a few eyebrows at the event? A word from a few different sources say that Microsoft has something else to announce at this event that is not a tablet, but I don’t have enough meat on the bone yet to make a well-educated guess. Everyone seems to want a Surface laptop but that would surely eat away at the Pro 4 sales if they went that route, wouldn’t it?

Anyway you spin it, October 6^th is quickly approaching and looks to be a packed event. Both Paul and I will attending the keynote and will bring you the insight and analysis you expect as soon as we get our hands on these new products.