Microsoft’s range of Surface tablets might have got off to a rocky start back in 2012, but its Surface Pro slates have since become firmly established as intuitive and feature-rich for enterprise markets. This success hints at the importance of Microsoft continuing to hold its own against the competition as the expected launch of the Surface Pro 4 nears.
The Redmond company is currently preparing for a big press event in New York this Tuesday, at 10am Eastern Time. Microsoft is unsurprisingly cryptic about what will happen there, simply saying: “We have some exciting news to share about Windows 10 devices.” However, given the huge success of the Surface Pro 3, which was released in early 2014 and is therefore overdue a successor, the rumored Surface Pro 4 will almost definitely be among the most headline-grabbing new hardware shown off.
What exactly makes the Surface Pro 3 so special? The gorgeous and solid housing, easy-to-use keyboard Type Cover and business-oriented software are major draws – but, for a more detailed explanation, perhaps we should just hand over to The Verge, which effectively sums up the tablet’s essential appeal in its video review from last year.
With that tablet, Microsoft has wisely worked to its traditional strengths in serving the enterprise. However, there can be no room for complacency. Many businesses that had been setting aside funds for Surface Pro tablets could suddenly find themselves unexpectedly distracted by Apple’s recently-unveiled iPad Pro. With its huge 12.9-inch display and beefy A9X processor, this slate is clearly intended to help Apple to a big slice of the corporate pie.
The Microsoft Office apps of Word, PowerPoint and Excel have already long been available on iOS. However, as ironically demonstrated by Microsoft’s Office corporate vice president Kirk Koenigsbauer at Apple’s September keynote, they are so functional and smooth on the iPad Pro that these apps and the Apple tablet have now reached a higher level for productivity. The Redmond firm has even updated the apps to make use of the Split View feature introduced with iOS 9.
As a result, the onus is now on Microsoft to wow the corporate crowds once again with the Surface Pro 4. Anything less than a resounding promotional triumph could undermine not only the Surface Pro 4, but also the operating system it uses. Despite positive early reviews, the initially speedy rate of adoption of Windows 10 has, according to StatCounter, since slowed. An eye-catching Surface Pro 4 could, alongside the array of other Windows 10 devices to be inevitably announced on Tuesday, reinvigorate public interest in the OS and show why it’s time to get excited again. Over to you, Microsoft…
