Microsoft Surface: Third Time's the Charm?

Microsoft will hold a press event in New York City on Tuesday for a Surface announcement that is rumored to include the unveiling of a "Surface Mini" and a new Intel-based Surface Pro.

The limited-seating event begins at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, and those who want to follow along will be able to join a live webcast at the Microsoft News Center.

Microsoft's News Center preview shows an image of impassioned Surface advocate Panos Panay, who demonstrated the Surface features when former top Windows executive Steven Sinofsky rolled out the first Surface, and who also presided over the Surface 2 launches last year after Sinofsky's departure. At that second event, Panay said he had plans for several generations of future Surface releases.

Rumor has it, in the form of a Mary Jo Foley report, that Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will be on hand to unveil the Surface news Tuesday. Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer never actively took part in a Surface launch. For the initial Surface, Ballmer was in the venue for the formal launch earlier in the day of Windows 8, but Ballmer left the Surface duties to Sinofsky.

How big a deal is this launch? Pre-launch reports are calling for Microsoft to launch a 7- to 8-inch "Surface Mini" with a digital pen and a chipset switch from Nvidia Corp. to Qualcomm Inc. and a new Surface Pro based on new Intel chips.

Posted by Scott Bekker on May 19, 2014 at 12:24 PM