Surface Pro 5 murmurs are starting to amp up as 2016 comes to a close, but it appears Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 successor will not have a release date in this calendar year. Below, we’ll recap five signs that point towards a soft delay.
1) Microsoft Still Isn’t Talking: It’s now October, and Microsoft hasn’t said as much as a peep about any sort of event or showcase in the near future. For reference's sake, the Surface Pro 4 reveal was teased in mid-September last year. At this point we’ve passed the barrier where it may be a bit difficult to market and release a new sku this close to the holiday season.
The Surface Pro 5 does have the advantage of familiarity, but, at some point it gets too late to be viable. With our luck, the teases will begin just after this article goes live, but it’s not happening now.
2) No Rumors Or Leaks: Equally as telling as the lack of official details is the total dearth of unofficial ones. While the leak cycle for Surface is hardly as pervasive as Apple products, there were still fairly concrete statements about the Surface Pro 4 as early as August of last year. Experts like Paul Thurrott and Tom Warren were spouting about a reveal for months.
In contrast, beyond a single patent for a possible magnetic pen, we know nothing about the Surface Pro 5. We can make assumptions about the tablet’s specs and features based on hardware manufacturing trends, but there hasn’t actually been a legitimate Surface Pro 5 rumor yet. When even the insiders are quiet, a release date probably isn’t soon.
3) Redstone 2 Delay: For those not in the know, Redstone 2 is the codename for Microsoft’s fourth major update to Windows 10. However, in March of this year, the sizable patch was delayed until early 2017 to support “a new wave of Microsoft-branded Windows 10 devices.” While it was expected Redstone 2 would go live in October, just like its predecessor did for the release of the Surface Pro 4, the new update was delayed to support hardware.
This essentially tells us that Microsoft is likely planning to do a wave-based product launch similar to 2016’s, but it won’t be until 2017. The Surface Pro 5, and its major software update, will be made available then.
4) Kaby Lake: While technically unconfirmed, the assumption is that the Surface Pro 5 will feature Intel’s latest brand of Kaby Lake CPUs. The current-generation tablet premiered Skylake in many ways, so, for the sake of evolution, the thought makes complete sense.
That’s all well and good, but manufacturers are just now starting to get their hands on Kaby Lake hardware. In fact, the full range of chips won’t even be made available until next year. Even if Microsoft decided to use one of the processors being sold today, it’d be quite a challenge to produce and ship the number of units required for a fairly successful launch. If the CPU isn’t ready, there’s no new tablet.
5) The Big Advertising Push: Microsoft has been exceptionally aggressive about advertising its Surface line over the past few years, and that’s still true today. In fact, the company just put out a brand new Surface Pro 4 TV spot that’s getting fairly mixed reviews.
Regardless of how the ad was received, the fact that this commercial even exists is telling enough. It means Microsoft actually budgeted significant promotional costs for its current-gen tablet. If a new one were coming, we’d find it especially hard to believe that new ads would be aired. Old ones might be leveraged to sell through remaining stock, but new footage costs money. Combined with the previous four signs, it suggests the Pro 4 will still be on shelves throughout the holiday season.
The Surface Pro 5 has no known release date, but the Surface Pro 4 is available now.
Do you think Microsoft will release the Surface Pro 5 in 2016? What should the Surface Pro 4 successor have? Tell us in the comments section!
