Microsoft Surface Book 2 release date, news, rumors: Laptop to be released in 3rd quarter of 2016?
Microsoft Corporation is still silent regarding the anticipated next iteration of the Surface Book. There have been speculations since last year that the Surface Book 2 will be released sometime this year, although there are other factors that might affect the schedule of the units' mass production. The long wait could still be worth it, as it is expected to feature a lot of innovations from the first Surface Book.
So far, the rumored release date of the Surface Book 2 is expected to fall in the third quarter of 2016. DigiTimes reported that Microsoft is already gearing up for the launching of their next device, which is now going to be an all-in-one personal computer (PC). The next Surface Book iteration being an AIO PC is expected to introduce new features for Microsoft's Surface line, as well as to revitalize the AIO market.
However, there is also a possibility that the Surface Book 2 release will be pushed back, possibly next year. The latest rumor suggests that the Surface Book 2 might make an appearance during the first half of 2017, instead of second half of this year.
It is also reported that the Surface Book 2 will be using Intel's next generation of chipset called the Kaby Lake. Microsoft may still have to wait for Intel to ship the new Kaby Lake processors, thus raising the speculation that the new Surface Book will be delayed. Aside from the new processing units for Surface Book 2, the ongoing development of Windows 10 Redstone 2, which will be the operating system of Microsoft's next devices, might also cause additional delay.
According to Christian Daily, the Surface Book 2 will be sporting many upgrades from the first Surface Book iteration released in 2015. The present device is boasting a sixth generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor with NVIDIA GeForce GPU, accompanied by 1 GB GDDR5 memory. It has 128 GB, 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB SSD storage variants. If the Surface Book 2 were to beat its predecessor, it must also surpass the screen features of the first Surface Book, specifically the 13.5-inch PixelSense display with 3000 x 2000 maximum screen resolution.
