Surface Pro 7 Discussion Thread (October 2019)

<<...I'm also holding out hope for maybe a Pro 8 update...>>

I think it's a little too early to expect a Surface Pro 8. SP7 was only introduced 6 months ago (Oct 2019)...

 

Again, this hope of mine is in terms of the release of the Pro 2 & 3

Surface Pro 2 was released October 2013, and the Pro 3 was released June 2014....a mere 8 months apart.

Pro 4, 6, & 7 saw the October release.....but the Pro 5...like the Pro 3 was also released in June.......given how marginal the updates have been from Pro 4 to all way to Pro 7.......A surprise June launch of a Pro 8 could be totally possible.....especially if it uses the overall same 10th gen cores.....just as the Pro 3 did with the Pro 2.

 

I would say, yes, if it were any year before the Surface Pro X launched.

Now the difference is MS doesn't want to give the impresion it is leaving the SPX behind. If they begin rapidly updating the SP line, consumers will lose confidence in their commitment to WOA.

So I expect steady 1.5 yearly updates for the SP line, while the SPX and other WOA/Core OS devices get equal or faster release cycles and a heavier marketing push.

 

If there is any x-factor its probably the growth of the Surface Line with numerous product lines......Pro, Pro x, Laptop, Studio, Book, Go, and soon to include Neo and Duo....not to mention Microsoft does tend to carry the stock of the previous generation or two (for us extended warrenty folks)....so from the days of the Pro 2 to Pro 3.....I'd image the stock room at any given Microsoft store is probably a lot more chaotic.

But in terms of a Pro 8......one possibility that nags me....it was a rumor back when the Pro X debuted.....that potentially Microsoft's going forward plan with the Surface Line....was to shift the "Pro" line entirely to Windows on Arm....and redirect the former Pro market that needs full proper Intel Windows to the Book Line. Then there was that patent image floating around that showed a potential Book 3 with a built in kickstand into the clipboard portion. Given the Pro and Book line use the same 15w class of CPU....Adding a kickstand to the clipboard (and hopefully to god at least one USB-C port) could make the Book line jury riggable to become a Pro. Maybe even sell the keyboard base separately.....or offer a type cover-ish option without the graphics card/battery and no bump when closed....so it could replicate the experience of using a Pro. But the Pro line is still more or less the flagship product of the Surface line...and while I don't think the Pro X will be abandoned so soon.....I don't think it was the success Microsoft hoped for.....to that ideal of WOA taking over the Pro Line.....it just too half baked for that to be reality yet....or at least a profitable one anyway. But even so....I could envision a near future where the Pro line gets absorbed into the Book...and the Pro X replaces the Pro.....meaning the Pro 7 or a (Pro 8) could be the finale true Surface Pro.

But that has one problem......Price........the Surface Book commands a much higher price tag then the Pro....and for Surface Pro sales.....I'd wager the Bread and Butter of that is the i5/8GB/128 config combo that comes with the Keyboard cover for around $799....Given there is typically a $200+ markup for the next config with is just 256GB of storage......(let alone the price upcharge for 16GB Ram or an i7)......I can't image Microsoft would want to abandon that quite profitable config & price option....which might be difficult for the book line.

 

I feel you. My warranty is also up in June & have similar plans as you. Then again the MS store told me that they told me they had stock of the SP3 for at least 1 month after the SP5 came out. So let's hope it comes out in April so we can get get SP7, if not I'd be very happy with an SP6. My SP5 right now has issues where once a day to every other day I have to restart it to get the number row to work.

 

I found this interesting tidbit. Someone who got a Surface Pro 4 refurb purportedly remanufactured five months ago said theirs also is using this new panel part. So if the stock is fresh, regardless of the model of your Pro, you may very well get the new panel part.

 

I would say that whether or not they release a Surface Pro 8 is the least of their worries about consumers losing confidence in SPX and WOA...

 

Agreed. If a product is truly good, don't artificially prop it up by withholding another perfectly good one that is perhaps superior in other respects. Let it stand by its own merits. Besides, the rest of the market isn't about to take their products down for the sake of Microsoft. So if anything, withholding a good product is a sign of weakness and it suggests a lack of confidence in their other product's future.

 

Wait! Are they really selling a base model Pro 7 (I3/4GB/128GB) with keyboard for $599? What is that all about?

 

<<...What is that all about?..>>

Well, it is an i3...!