Microsoft's lightweight $400 Surface tablet has received FCC approval

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If you're a fan of Microsoft's devices, you've probably heard of their Surface line of tablets, laptops, and laptop/tablet hybrids. In general, the devices have been well-received, due in no small part to their above-average build quality and impressive performance.

The trouble is, they're also quite expensive. As of writing, the cheapest Surface device is the Surface Pro, with a $959 price tag. While its internal hardware and solid construction seem to be worth the cost for many customers, those on a tighter budget haven't been able to break into Microsoft's device ecosystem yet.

That could be changing soon, however. Reports surfaced recently suggesting that Microsoft has been working on a budget, $400 Surface tablet. Now, we may have semi-official confirmation that the device is close to shipping out.

As WinFuture noticed, a smaller, lighter Surface device seems to have received FCC approval. Details about the device are incredibly scarce, and the FCC filing only references a "low-powered" charger.

However, earlier leaks may give a bit more insight into what Microsoft is working on. Bloomberg reported in May that the tech giant was attempting to compete with Apple by working on 10" Surface tablets with rounded edges and USB-C charging.

As nice as the concept of a budget-friendly Surface tablet sounds, Microsoft hasn't even confirmed its existence yet, so take this news -- and previous leaks -- with a grain of salt.

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I would rather tie this launch with the full blown Windows 10 in ARM testing and devices Microsoft has been putting out there. I'm thinking kind of the computer in an hdmi socket type of surface.
 
If they restrict it as they have with other products it will probably be a bust .... and Microsoft dosen't need any more of those!
 
If you're a fan of Microsoft's devices, you've probably heard of their Surface line of tablets, laptops, and laptop/tablet hybrids.

The trouble is, they're also quite expensive. As of writing, the cheapest Surface device is the Surface Pro, with a $959 price tag.

They aren't tablets. That's why they seem expensive. The Surface is more of a touchscreen laptop without a keyboard than it is a tablet. It runs Windows 10 and can do everything your laptop can do. They are really popular with businesses. You can give your employees a fully functional and very mobile computer for about $1000 (you'll want to pay extra for the keyboard). Look at the product page on microsoft.com and search for the word 'tablet' - you won't find it... they don't think the Surface is a tablet either.

If I were buying a tablet - I wouldn't even consider this... if I were buying a laptop - these would a top choice.

A $400 dollar one though? What are they trying to pull off? It'll still be too expensive for schools that use Chromebooks. And it might not be powerful enough for the business user who needs a laptop. However - with more applications going to the cloud, we can get by with less. If your company doesn't use Office and uses Google Docs for example, you don't need a laptop with guts. This would be perfect.
 
If they restrict it as they have with other products it will probably be a bust .... and Microsoft dosen't need any more of those!

The last "Surface" model, the Surface 3 launched with Windows 8.1 (full x86 version). I don't see why they wouldn't continue that strategy. They already backed out of the "Windows 10 S" strategy by making it an optional mode.
 
Do you think this surface will feature snapdragon 845? it might be battery-efficient but is nowhere powerful enough for business purpose.
 
Do you think this surface will feature snapdragon 845? it might be battery-efficient but is nowhere powerful enough for business purpose.
Why would MS bother with ARM if Intel accepted the challange and created some CPUs just as sluggish as the Atoms were? They can simply implement it, performance will be nicely distanced from their normal Surface line...
 
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