Technology giant Microsoft is gearing up to launch a new line of low-cost Surface tablets that could go head to head with Apple’s famous line of tablets, the iPads.
Reported First by Bloomberg, the company’s smaller low-cost Surface tablets could arrive as soon as second half of 2018. The new range will sport a 10-inch screen size, smaller than the current Surface Pro laptop line which features a screen size of 12-inches.
As per sources, Microsoft this time has softened the appearance of the tablets, rounding off the corners to make it resemble more like iPad. The tablet is also being said to be 20% lighter and feature USB-C ports and be priced at around $400.
It is important to note that this is Microsoft’s second attempt at making its Surface tablet range less expensive. The first attempt was when the company had launched Surface RT in 2012. Going by the past reports, the company has been struggling to sell surface devices in large numbers. Market Researcher IDC reports that Microsoft sold 7,25,000 tablets in the first quarter of the current year, while Apple sold 9.1 million iPads in the same period.
If we talk about actual numbers, Apple has made a whopping $20 billion in 2017 by selling 44 million iPads, Microsoft, on the other hand, has garnered $4.4 billion in the same period with its Surface lineup.
Despite the reported drop in revenue, Microsoft has been making continuous efforts to prevent its surface range from getting obsolete. Recently, it has updated the Surface Pro with Intel’s 7th generation processors and even equipped it with 512 GB SSD option. And, now with the new range of economical surface tablet in the lineup, Microsoft might gain its hold back competing effectively with Apple’s iPad.