Microsoft Tablets in 2017: Compare & Find The Best
Obviously, Microsoft is heavily investing in tablets. Not only by making Windows 10 touch-friendly, but also with their own Surface devices. Yes, Microsoft is making their own tablets called „Surface“. As of 2017, you can buy the Surface Pro 4, Surface Pro (2017) and Surface Book 2. Let‘s take a closer look at Microsofts tablets.
Microsoft Tablets: A Brief History
It might be forgotten by most, but Microsoft heavily invested in tablets in the early 2000s by releasing Windows XP for tablet PCs. You might remember some executives running around with big and heavy touchscreen PCs. Half of them were Bill Gates. Back then, the stylus-based tablets weren‘t a huge success. The technology wasn‘t there yet.
After the successful release of the iPad by Apple, Microsoft started to invest into tablets again. They did build some impressive handwriting recognition in Windows 7 already. A big push started with Windows 8 in 2012 when they released a touch-first operating system. That later developed into Windows 8.1 and now Windows 10 – which offers a nice tablet mode.
On June 18, 2012, Microsoft announced their first computer – a tablet. The Microsoft Surface was a 10-inch tablet with an integrated kickstand, keyboard cover, and an active pen. While it did look very similar to recent versions – the design hasn‘t changed much – it shipped with Windows RT. That‘s an ARM-optimized version of Windows 8 that was later dropped completely.
Since 2012, they‘ve continued to invest heavily into their Surface tablets with a Surface 2, Surface 3 and their Surface Pro lineup. The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 was the first Windows tablet to be really successful. Successful enough to make tons of companies copy the design. That‘s something Microsoft is supporting though.
Current Microsoft Surface Tablets
As of 2017, you can buy the new Microsoft Surface Pro. That‘s a 12-inch tablet with an integrated kickstand, optional keyboard cover and optional active pen. Obviously, it is running Windows 10.
Late that year they also announced the Microsoft Surface Book 2. While the 13.5-inch and 15-inch convertibles can still be transformed into a tablet, it is more of a 2-in-1. A serious notebook replacement.
