Microsoft Surface Event: All that we expect from Microsoft

Microsoft is preparing for a special event in New York City today, its first in-person meeting since 2019. This exciting event begins on September 21 at 10 a.m. ET promises to introduce some fantastic new Surface devices, including the Surface Laptop Studio 2, Surface Go 4, and Surface Laptop Go. Additionally, we can anticipate updates in Windows 11 and some AI features, including Bing Chat. While you wait for the event time to start, take a look at what's on the horizon.

Surface Studio 2

An interesting rumour surrounds the new Surface Laptop Studio 2. Leaks from the German blog WinFuture suggest that Microsoft will introduce this laptop with improved components and additional ports. Studio 2 will retain its innovative sliding screen design and get new ports, such as a USB-A port and a microSD card reader. Under the hood, it is expected to feature a 13th Gen Intel Core i7-13800H hybrid CPU and Nvidia RTX 4050 or RTX 4060 GPU. These improvements promise better multitasking performance and better ray tracing support, Tom's Guide reported.

Surface Go 3

The Surface Laptop Go 3 will not undergo any major changes. Photos leaked by WinFuture reveal an almost identical design to its predecessor. Expect minor spec changes, particularly with Intel's 12th Gen CPUs, such as the Intel Core i5-1235U. The screen and 8GB of RAM will remain the same, resulting in a price increase, probably around $780.

Surface Go 4

Like the Surface Laptop Go line, the Surface Go tablets offer a basic option with a lightweight design. The Surface Go 4 is expected to maintain the Go 3 form factor while focusing on internal upgrades. A common complaint about the Go 3 was poor battery life and poor performance due to the Intel Core i3-10100Y processor. Microsoft can remedy this by offering two variants: Intel-based and ARM-based, similar to the Surface Pro 9. Thanks to cost-effective ARM integration, the Surface Go 4 could potentially offer 5G connectivity and longer battery life.

Windows 11 and Microsoft services enhanced with AI

Beyond hardware, we anticipate Microsoft will discuss improvements coming to Windows 11 and other Microsoft services like Excel, Outlook, and Word. Expect a strong emphasis on "AI", building on previous Microsoft efforts like Bing with ChatGPT. Microsoft is experimenting with chatbots powered by large language learning models (LLM) and its own data in applications and services. For example, Windows 11 Copilot, an AI assistant you can ask for help, is being tested by early adopters in the Windows Preview Program and may receive a final release window during this event.

Microsoft is also introducing a new chip design called "Meteor Lake," which features discrete portions of silicon for the CPU, GPU, and VPU (a specialized processing unit for AI tasks). This chip design is expected to usher in subtle but significant improvements to AI in Windows laptops by the end of this year. In short, Microsoft's Surface Event promises exciting new hardware and AI-driven advancements in its software and services.