Surface Mini Announcement Was Reportedly Cancelled Last Minute

Earlier today, Microsoft announced the Surface Pro 3, which in some ways was kind of a surprise. Many had expected that the event would cover the launch of the Surface Mini, but instead last minute rumors killed off any expectations we had. Instead the launch was all about the Surface Pro 3.

Does that mean that the previous reports were way off base? Perhaps, but according to Bloomberg, perhaps not. It seems that Microsoft had intended to announce the Surface Mini at their event earlier today, but they decided to cancel it at the last minute because Microsoft’s newly appointed CEO, Satya Nadella, felt that the Surface Mini was not different enough to compete with its rivals.

In the small tablet category, we have winners like the iPad mini, the Nexus 7, and the Amazon Kindle Fire, all of which are cheap and popular in their own right. The Surface Pro 3, however, differentiates itself by being a tablet larger than conventional tablets. That and the fact that it is powered by an Intel processor allows it to compete with laptops like Apple’s MacBook Air.

However this does not mean that the Surface Mini is dead. According to people familiar with the matter, it is an area that Microsoft could revisit in the future, but it looks like for now, they will be focused on the Surface Pro 3. In a statement from Microsoft, “Windows on ARM continues to be an important element of the Windows strategy.” What say you? Are you disappointed that there was no Surface Mini?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Tablets
Tags: Microsoft, surface mini, surface pro 3