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Recent reports have indicated that the Surface Pro 5 release date will not happen until 2017 for a number of reasons but Microsoft is somehow hinting that the 2-in-1 Windows 10 device unboxing could still happen this 2016. One clue is the promo deal involving the Surface Pro 4 then the reported preparations by the tech giant for what appears as an upcoming Surface device launch.
Starting June 29, Microsoft will sell the Surface Pro 4 with a free Xbox One. The deal, according to The Verge, is exclusive for students and will give them solid savings of $300. The report added that the promotional campaign will run until August 14 or a few weeks after the worldwide release of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
The same report noted that Microsoft's SP4-Xbox One deal came following the company's announcement that it will discontinue the Surface 3. The move plus the tempting packaging of the Pro 4 are seen as Microsoft setting the stage for the next-generation Surface devices.
However, reports have been saying that the company is not planning to roll out any kind of devices this year, supposedly to focus on the next big update for Windows 10. But The Verge said in a separate report that at least one Surface machine will see the light of the day before 2016 comes to a close.
The tech site pointed to a Twitter post by Shubhan Chemburkar, identified by the report as an app developer residing in India, that contained a picture of wall display on Microsoft's retail store in the country.
@bdsams see here pic.twitter.com/Tri8HDI1w5
— Shubhan Chemburkar (@shubhan3009) July 3, 2016
As seen in the tweet, one spot on the wall was reserved for what appears as a Surface device that is labelled coming soon in 2016. It could be the Surface Pro 5 that will bump off the SP4 but The Verge made clear on its report that it could be something else.
"Sources familiar with Microsoft's Surface plans tell The Verge the company is experimenting with a number of traditional PC form factors that could be Surface-branded," the report said. One possible candidate is a Surface machine with all-in-one functionalities, the report added.
The shared picture also indicated of three more Surface-branded machines that will touchdown in 2017. Microsoft is rumored to soon come out with a smartphone powered by the Windows 10 Mobile so one possibility is the Surface Phone. Another is the likely follow up to the well-received Surface Book although speculations are rife that in lieu of the Surface Pro 5 release date this 2016, the Redmond-based tech giant is letting loose instead the Surface Book 2.
