Microsoft unveils Surface Pro 2, brings new kickstand and Haswell processor

Microsoft took the stage today to unveil its brand new 10.6-inch Surface Pro 2 tablet. The company didn’t make in major hardware changes, instead many of the slight improvements came to the inside of the device. The Redmond based tech giant touted the slate’s 20 percent increase in overall performance, with a 50 percent increase in graphics compared to last year’s model. More importantly, the Pro 2 has a 75 percent improvement in battery life over its predecessor.

The Surface Pro 2 addressed the kickstand issue found with the first generation model, now the new kickstand brings a second position that gives the tab a lean of 55 degrees. Panos Panay, Microsoft’s VP of Surface said the Surface Pro 2 will deliver the “full power of a PC in a tablet form factor.” In addition to its improved power, Panay also claimed that the Surface Pro 2 will run quieter and cooler than the original Surface Pro.

Features on the Surface Pro 2 include 4GB of RAM with either 64 or 128GB of storage, and 8GB of RAM with either 256 or 512GB of storage. Starting 8AM tomorrow, customers get to pre-order the Pro 2, and tablets ship with Windows 8.1 on October 22nd.

Microsoft is including some goodies, too. Mr. Softy will give customers who buy the Pro 2 one year of free Skype calling to landlines, with unlimited use of Skype-branded Wi-Fi hotspots. Additionally, the tech giant will give customers 200GB of SkyDrive storage as well — double the memory of what Google gives to new Chromebook buyers.

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Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro Coming On September 23rd?

Microsoft hasn’t exactly had a run away hit with either Windows 8 or its Microsoft Surface tablet line, but as the saying goes – if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. On the Windows front, Microsoft will soon release Windows 8.1, which Microsoft hopes will address customer concerns regarding the mobile-centric OS. On the Surface front? The Surface 2 may be just around the corner, with rumors pointing to an announcement of the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 on September 23rd.

Last Month Nvidia’s CEO confirmed that the Tegra 4 processor would be making its way to the lower-end Surface 2, which means that Microsoft isn’t abandoning Windows RT yet. As for the Surface Pro? We can expect a Haswell Core i5 processor from Intel, which should help address battery life concerns experienced with the first-gen model.

Not much is known about either model, spec-wise, though reports suggest the base (RT) version will pack a 1080p display. If the new Microsoft tablets are announced later this month, that means they likely won’t arrive until sometime in October. With Windows 8.1 and RT 8.1 arriving on October 17th, odds are both tablets should pack the newest version of Windows right out of the box.

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