Microsoft to launch successor to the Surface Pro 4 next week - but it won't be the Surface Pro 5
New Windows 10 hybrid will be powered by an Intel Kaby Lake microprocessor
Microsoft is to introduced a new Surface Pro-style hybrid next week - but it won't be a Surface Pro 5. That, at least, is according to tipster Evan Blass, who claims that Microsoft will unveil the 'Surface Pro' at its launch event in Shanghai next week.
The device will look almost identical to the Surface Pro 4 that was launched way back in 2015, and won't offer much in the way of upgrades.
Instead, changes will be "mainly internal", according to Blass, writing on Venturebeat. Blass suggests that Microsoft will power the hybrid with the latest seventh-generation Intel Kaby Lake chip.
The leaked images suggest that Microsoft is bringing the its Alcantara fabric-covered keyboard to the Surface Pro range, a move that will no doubt divide opinion. This was previously exclusive to the signature edition Surface Pro Keyboard, but will reportedly now be made the default Surface Pro keyboard.
The keyboards and an updated Surface Pen will be offered in the new colour scheme adopted by the Surface Laptop, too: Charcoal, Burgundy, Platinum, and Teal.
The images also show Microsoft sticking with USB 3.0 with the new Surface Pro, eschewing USB-C connections.
Blass Notes that, despite rumours about a Surface Book 2, this won't make its debut at next week's event.
News of Microsoft refreshing its Surface Pro line-up comes amid rumours that Apple is finally preparing to update its ageing MacBook range.
According to reports, the company will use next month's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in San Jose, California to show-off a new MacBook Pro, also with Kaby Lake CPUs inside, a refresh of Apple's 12in MacBook, and an update to the 13in MacBook Air, which hasn't seen an upgrade since 2015.
Apple has been widely criticised for being slow to upgrade its popular range of laptops and, when it has upgraded them, has also drastically 'upgraded' the price, too.