The original Microsoft Surface Book officially came out to the retail markets in October 2015. So when it completed its one-year market cycle last October, almost everybody were expecting that the Redmondian company would launch its successor, the Microsoft Surface Book 2.
But during the October 26 event of Microsoft, the company launched instead the hybrid Surface Book i7
The hybrid Surface Book i7 is not as powerful as the rumored specifications, features, and capabilities of the Microsoft Surface Book 2 but it is certainly more than adequate to match up against the 2016 Apple MacBook Pro, which the American tech giant officially rolled out on October 27, or one day later.
If any, the only thing positive that the hybrid Surface Book i7 did for the anticipating fans of the Microsoft Surface Book 2 was to quench their thirst for the second iteration of the ultimate laptop line from the Redmondian company.
Latest reports have it that the Microsoft Surface Book 2 would come out next year and shall become the ideal laptop for gaming and video editing, reports the University Herald.
There have been previous reports that the Microsoft Surface Book 2 shall be unveiled along with the Microsoft Surface Pro 5. But following the events of October 26, the speculations are now saying that the Redmondian company may launch the Microsoft Surface Pro 5 in the first quarter of next year, while the Microsoft Surface Book 2 could be unveiled in the fall of next year, perhaps in October 2017.
By October next year, the Surface Book would have marked its second year in the market while the hybrid Surface Book i7 would have completed its first year.
There are also reports saying that Microsoft may not launch the Surface Book 2 next year and instead do it in 2018 to give the Surface Book i7 more time on the market.
Would feature a significant performance improvement
Reports also have it that the Microsoft Surface Book 2, just like the upcoming Surface Pro 5, shall feature an Intel Kaby Lake processor, which would enable the laptop to feature a significant performance improvement, notes the Tech Times.
The device shall feature a 13.5-inch display with a screen resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, which would enable it to support 4K videos.
There are also rumors saying that the Surface Book 2 would be able to support virtual reality (VR) systems, though there are no specific details that would lend credibility to such a claim at this time.
Back in August, through the official Instagram account of Surface, Microsoft hinted that it would be adding a new hinge system to the Surface Book 2.
The image that was uploaded, supposedly of the Microsoft Surface Book 2, revealed a hinge that has fewer ridges compared to the hinge in the current Surface Book.
The redesign could be looking to address the issue that Surface Book users had with the gap that appears when the laptop is closed due to the current hinge.
To exude latest technologies too
As the next iteration of the 2-in-1 hybrid laptop/tablet, the Microsoft Surface Book 2 shall also showcase some of the latest technologies.
The Microsoft Surface Book 2 is expected to feature 4K resolution with 4K video and 3D graphics playback capability. Its battery may provide a running time of up to 16 hours.
It can be recalled that the original device featured an Intel Core i7 processor so the Microsoft Surface Book 2 is expected to be faster and more powerful with its new chipset. It can improve graphic performance by 100 percent due to the 14-nanometer technology, which enhances the chipset by 12 percent compared to the Skylake or the Core i7 processors.