14 DAY TRIAL // In its struggle to look beyond software and become more relevant on the devices and services market, Microsoft is hard at work to expand the Lumia phone lineup with new models that should give it a chance to compete against Android and iOS.
But at the same time, Microsoft is believed to be looking again at the small tablet market, as the Surface Mini, which all of us thought was dead, is said to be revived and prepared for a late 2015 launch.
The Surface Mini would be, as its name suggests, a smaller version of the Surface tablet, and according to some sources close to the matter, it is currently under consideration at Microsoft and scheduled for a possible launch in the second half of this year, alongside the next Surface Pro.
First, the facts
The Surface Mini was initially expected to launch in May 2014, when Microsoft actually introduced the Surface Pro 3. At that time, it was said that Satya Nadella and Stephen Elop, currently head of the Devices and Services division at Microsoft, decided to pull the plug on the project because it didn't bring anything innovative as compared to its rivals. The iPad mini and Nexus 7, that is.
The Surface Mini was projected to launch with the exact same digital pen as the Surface Pro 3, which would have offered outstanding capabilities for its purpose of serving as a note-taking device.
“8-inch screen, Windows 10, digital pen, and very low price.”
That's right, the Surface Mini wasn't supposed to come as a replacement for your typical tablet. No, Microsoft doesn't do that anymore and just by looking at the Surface Pro 3, which is considered to be a laptop replacement, this thing becomes obvious.
The Surface Mini was meant to be a note-taking device that would have made students' and teachers' work easier because it had what it needed to replace the traditional notebook.
Why it makes sense
Now there's some talk online that the Surface Mini is again in the works and could launch this year. And for those wondering how come that Microsoft changed its mind, there's a very simple reason for this: nobody came up with a comparable device and the existing small tablets barely do what a Surface Mini would be capable of.
It's believed that Microsoft would bring the Surface Mini to the market because it would clearly offer customers a pack of features that no other device would have. Imagine how easy it would be to take notes on an 8-inch device, with a digital pen that's as advanced as the one on the SP3, and which would also run Windows 10 and would allow you to browse the web and check your email. Students, teachers, artists and designers would love it.
The Surface Mini could be the kind of device that would really innovate and that's why Microsoft should bring it to the market. Make it affordable and it becomes a hit. If a Surface Mini is indeed planned for this year, let's just hope that Microsoft won't make the same mistake twice.