Though the Surface Pro 4 release date has been elusive, there are signs that Microsoft is about to unveil the device. Meanwhile, the Surface Mini is rumored to be making an appearance within this summer.
Surface Pro 4 Details Leaked
Officially, Microsoft has yet to confirm the existence of Surface Pro 4. This has not stopped the rumor mill from speculating on the release date for the upcoming device.
The Verge's senior editor, Tom Warren, recently claimed that the Surface Pro 4 will be out by October 4. Warren did not state the source of his information. Earlier, Warren had encouraged a Twitter follower to opt out of buying a Surface Pro 3.
"If you liked the Surface Pro 3 you'll definitely like the Surface Pro 4. Don't worry, it won't be using Core M chips," he tweeted in early August. In the same post, Warren mentioned that next Surface Pro may come with the Skylake chip. Theoretically, this means the device may be significantly thinner and lighter than the current Surface Pro 3.
Another user asked if the Surface Pro 4 will include a USB Type-C, to which Warren replied "not likely." It is no secret that Microsoft is leery with this particular hardware. So, consumers will expect to see either USB 3.0 or USB 3.1 support for the Surface Pro 4.
Is Surface Mini Coming this Summer?
Last month, a rumor started by @evleaks claimed that the Microsoft Surface Mini is coming this summer. Since then, a number of observers have called this speculation into question.
At roughly the same time as when the rumor came out, ZDnet reported that their sources could not confirm the existence of the Surface Mini. Apparently, Microsoft had run into snag while working on the touch-first version of Office Suite. The technology was reportedly intended to differentiate Mini from other devices. As rumors suggest, the Surface Mini was deep-sixed at the last minute because not all the touch-first apps were ready for general release.
Now into August, there is no word from Microsoft regarding a potential release for the Surface Mini, which is said to be the smaller version of the Surface Pro series. The closest to a response by the tech titan came from Microsoft's Corporate Communications chief Frank Shaw.
"Was there a 'crazy rumor day declaration that I missed?" Shaw had tweeted.
For now, a 2015 release date for the Surface Mini is not very likely at this time - especially because signs are pointing to an impending Surface Pro 4 release.
