Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft Corp., speaks during the unveiling of Surface Pro 3 at an event in New York on May 20, 2014.
Jin Lee | Bloomberg | Getty
Microsoft on Monday launched Surface Pro 7+ for Business, a version of its 2019 Surface Pro 7 convertible tablet, designed for commercial and educational customers. It comes with a new Intel processor and cellular connectivity, so you can go online when you don’t have Wi-Fi. The base model costs $ 899, and LTE versions start at $ 1,149.
Growth in surface area accelerated in the second and third quarters, while people rushed to buy computers to continue school and work while staying at home. However, Microsoft’s control over the computer hardware market remains lower than Apple, Dell, HP and Lenovo.
The arrival of the computer shows that Microsoft is still experimenting with its Surface range, using a plus sign to distinguish the product, as did competing computer manufacturer Apple for the first time.
The current Surface concept debuted in 2012, under former CEO Steve Ballmer. Satya Nadella replaced Ballmer as CEO in 2014 and has reduced Microsoft’s focus on consumers over time, such as leaving the e-book and music markets. Now there is a Surface model that is only for business users.
Normally, every fall Microsoft comes out with a new Surface Pro, but this fall, as the coronavirus pandemic affected supply chains for devices like Microsoft’s iPhone 12 and Xbox Series X, fall came and went without a new one. Surface Pro 8. A spokesman declined to comment on Microsoft’s roadmap.
Microsoft Surface Pro 7+ for business does not come with an attachable keyboard; that accessory is sold separately.
Microsoft
And yet, the Surface Pro 7+ for Business looks almost exactly like the Surface Pro variants of years past. That is intentional.
“We are committed to business customers in terms of form factor continuity,” said Robin Seiler, Microsoft’s vice president. Surface Pro owners told the company that design changes, such as even moving a microphone, can cause complexity, Seiler said.
Seiler would not say whether the new tablet will be launched for consumers.
The device offers up to one terabyte of storage, along with up to 32 GB of RAM, a memory source that can also be found on the Surface Book 3. Surface Pro 7+ for business also includes a removable solid state drive, a feature which first hit the Surface Pro X in 2019.
Microsoft says the battery lasts up to 15 hours, putting it on par with the Surface Pro X convertible tablet that is based on an Arm-based chip. The standard Surface Pro 7 comes with up to 10.5 hours of battery life.
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