This morning, Microsoft showed off their next generation Surface Tablets, the Surface 2 running windows 8.1 RT and the Surface Pro 2 running Windows 8.1 pro. Here is what’s new:

Surface 2

• New 2 stage Kickstand
• Tegra 4 SOC for up to 4 times the performance of the old Tegra 3
• Bigger battery, for up to 10 hours of battery life
• 10.1″ 1080p IPS Screen (the old one was only 768p)
• USB 3.0, Micro SD and HD video out ports
• Increased WiFi and RAM performance
• Users get 200GB of Skydrive Storage free for 2 years when they buy a Surface 2
• 1 Year free Skype calling to landlines also included
• Windows 8.1 RT Installed
• Outlook 2013 RT preinstalled
• Now thinner at 8.9mm and lighter at 676 grams
• Now comes in both black and white
• Starting at $449.99
• Pre-Orders start Sept 24, Shipping to 21 markets Oct 21.

Surface Pro 2

• New 2 stage kickstand
• Intel 1.6GHz Core i5 Haswell processor (which is supposed to be faster and quieter then its predecessor)
• 10.1″ 1080p Clearblack IPS Screen
• Up to 512GB Internal Storage
• 2 USB 2 Ports, 1USB 3.0, mini DisplayPort, Ethernet, Micro SD slot, audio in/out and charging ports.
• Can output up to 3,840 x 2,160 pixels on an external display
• Battery life increased by as much as 75% due to battery, architectural changes, CPU and platform changes.
• Windows 8.1 Installed
• 1 Year free Skype calling to landlines also included
• 200GB Free Skydrive storage for 2 years
• 4GB or 8GB RAM depending on package
• Starting at $899.99 for the 64GB/4GB RAM package and increasing depending on package
• Pre-Orders start Sept 24, Shipping to 21 markets Oct 21.

 

As well as these new tablets, Microsoft also announced several new accessories for the Surface series. The new accessories are; A docking station that also charges the Surface, a new Touch Cover that is both thinner and lighter then its predecessor, the Type Cover now in 4 new colours, the new Power Cover; which adds a battery to the type cover for extended range from your tablet, and a Wireless Adapter for type covers.

Pictures:

So there you have it, the new Microsoft Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 Tablets. For more information and pre order info you can go to Microsoft.

By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody