Microsoft Expands Availability of Newest Surface Devices
- Paul Thurrott
- Mar 29, 2017
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Microsoft said today that it will bring Surface Studio, Surface Dial, and Surface Book with Performance Base to more markets in April. But that suggests that none of these devices will be updated anytime soon.
“Surface Studio has captured people’s imagination with a completely new way to create at your desk,” Microsoft corporate vice president Yusuf Mehdi said in a prepared statement. “And Surface Book with Performance Base has delivered an unprecedented combination of performance, battery life, and portability.”
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Starting today—Wednesday, March 29—customers in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand can preorder Surface Studio and Surface Dial. The devices will begin shipping in those markets on April 20.
Also today, customers in Austria, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom can preorder Surface Book with Performance Base. Availability starts April 20 in those markets as well.
As you may know, there’s been a lot of speculation around a major Surface device refresh in April. And the expectation has been that Microsoft would update Surface Pro and Surface Book at that time.
That schedule is no longer so clear-cut: The improved availability of Surface Book with Performance Base in April suggests that Microsoft will not update that device, at the very least.
As confusing, many expected Microsoft to announce new or improved Surface devices at an April event that would also include the Windows 10 Creators Update. But the firm told me that it is not scheduling a launch event for the Creators Update.
So it’s not clear what Microsoft will do this coming month with regards to Surface, rumors of a non-detachable Surface Book notwithstanding.
On a related note, Microsoft has at least explained how it plans to update its Surface Hub collaboration solution: On or before April 11, it will ship a version of the Creators Update for Surface Hub.
“The updates include an improved new start screen that allows you to sign on with your credentials and access your Office 365 apps and OneDrive materials as well as new manageability tools to simplify large-scale deployments,” Mr. Mehdi says. “Apps like Skype for Business are being improved to help you connect better and the Whiteboard app will now easily enable real-time collaboration between Surface Hubs.”