Following months of previous rumors and insider speculation, tech giant Microsoft has announced the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets at a media event in New York, ditching the former RT branding and moving forward with the successors of its two flagship tablets.
Microsoft’s Panos Panay began the event with a quick look at the Surface Pro 2, touting the device as “faster than 95 percent of laptops today.” Equipped with a new 1.6GHz Core i5 Haswell Intel processor, Microsoft claims the new device sports a 20-percent speed increase and a 50-percent graphics boost over its predecessor, while increasing battery life by about 75 percent. Additionally, each tablet will ship with Windows 8.1 RT, providing access to more than 100,000 apps available through the Windows Store, and dons a 10.6-inch, 1080p display consistent with the original Surface Pro.
The slim, magnesium body features improved front and rear cameras, a built-in kickstand adjustable to two different angles, and the word “Surface” sprawled upon the back of the tablet in lieu of the former Microsoft logo. Although the Surface 2 will be available sporting a silver-white exterior, the Surface Pro 2 will retain the “dark titanium” color of its predecessor. The device is also equipped with three USB 2.0 and one USB 3.0 ports in addition to those for Ethernet, audio in/out, charging and a mini DisplayPort.
Pre-orders for the Surface Pro 2 begin on September 24 at 8 a.m. EDT through Microsoft’s online and retail stores, as well as several third-party stockists, with a tentative release date slated for October 22 in most major markets. The Surface Pro 2 starts at $900 for the 64GB version.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.