Microsoft has a vision for the executive boardroom of the future: the Surface Hub 2 — a modular 4K video wall that companies can use to spruce up conferences and usher in a new world of digital office communication. While the Surface Hub 2 is still unavailable, Microsoft has a few more ideas for the workplace, including the new Surface Hub 2S and Surface Hub 2X.
Advertising the next generation of your product offerings generally isn’t a great idea when your current generation has yet to hit the market — have you heard of the Osborne corporation? — but that isn’t stopping the folks at Microsoft. At the company’s 2018 Ignite developer conference, Microsoft announced that it would be moving forward with the Surface Hub. In a blog post released at the same time, the company described its vision.
“People loved the original Surface Hub because it brought people together to work and create, but they also asked us for a more beautiful screen, something easier to install and transport, and more seamless integration of software and apps. We’ve taken that feedback to heart and used it to work across Microsoft to transform the creation process for Surface Hub 2 and our two new offerings in the Surface Hub family – Surface Hub 2S and Surface Hub 2X.”
The new Surface Hub 2S will be a slimmed-down version of Microsoft’s standard Surface Hub 2 digital whiteboard, set to target businesses who may already have the first generation of the Surface Hub installed in their offices. Based around older software, the Surface Hub 2S will fit perfectly into office spaces in which employees are accustomed to the first generation Hub, but want a bit of a style upgrade.
On the other hand, the Surface Hub 2X will be a next-generation model, after the regular Surface Hub 2. We can’t explain why Microsoft doesn’t opt to name this new generation the Surface Hub 3, but we can say that the company is ready to add on new features. The Surface Hub 2X will support the ability to tilt and rotate the display, as well as allow multiuser log-in and compatibility with Microsoft 365.
Microsoft unveiled the Surface Hub in 2015. basically a giant, 84-inch, 4K smart TV. Instead of running an entertainment system like the TVs in your home though, the Surface Hub will instead run a special version of Windows designed to bring together all of your Microsoft devices at work.
While Microsoft plans on launching the Surface Hub 2 and 2S and in the first half of 2019, those interested in the future Surface Hub 2X won’t see a release until at least 2020. The early announcement is curious; it leads excellent insight into Microsoft’s devotion to the workplace platform, it may put some organizations off, pushing them to skip the current generation for promises of better future experiences.
Speech-to-text apps have flooded the App Store, making it easier than ever to type on our Macs with just our voice. I have previously covered one such app called TypeWhisper. However, there has been a dearth of good text-to-speech models, and most of the good ones are locked behind a subscription.
Ollama, an open-source app that lets you run local AI models on your computer, wants to change that. It works on macOS, Windows, and Linux, and your prompts are never stored or used for training.
Did you think hitting delete on your AI chatbot conversation actually makes it disappear? Georgia Tech researchers just proved that's not entirely true. They have built a forensic tool called ORISA that can dig deleted conversations from your phone and even rebuild them into a working chatbot session you can keep talking to.
How can ORISA bring deleted AI conversations back?
Touchscreen laptops have been around for years. You can get them in all sizes and shapes. Just not from Apple. For years, the Cupertino giant has treated the idea of a touchscreen MacBook the way I treat a meeting that could have been an email: with open contempt. However, Wednesday looks like the day the company could finally change its mind.
The latest Apple invite puts the “Pro and Tell” showcase in Los Angeles at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) on October 28, 2026. Instead of a regular live-streamed keynote, it is an invitation-only, hands-on event for a handful of press and creators (similar to what the company did for the MacBook Neo earlier this year).