Microsoft once again teased its Oct 2 event in New York City, sending another invitation to members of the press. Interestingly, today's invite promises not just Surface hardware, but also "experiences," as ZDNet reports.
We can only speculate as to what those experiences are, but everyone in attendance will be holding their breath for even a whisper about Windows Lite, Microsoft's long-rumored lightweight competitor to Chrome OS. Reports have long suggested that Lite would arrive in 2019 alongside new hardware. While Microsoft has remained tight-lipped about a spin-off, multiple reports confirm that Lite's interface will be a simplified version of Windows 10 and optimized for upcoming dual-screen devices.
Windows Lite would likely be announced alongside Microsoft's mysterious dual-screen device (codenamed Centaurus), although a report from market research firm IHS Markit claims a foldable Surface would lunch in the first half of next year. Microsoft reportedly showed renders of the device at an internal meeting but ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley writes Centaurus is a "2020 product, at best," citing unnamed sources.
Other experiences Microsoft could showcase at its event include updates to Microsoft 365 and news about Chromium-based Edge, which is already in beta. We've been using the new Edge for several months now and haven't run into any major problems. In fact, apart from a few missing features, the new browser feels complete. Now we're just waiting on an official public launch date.
What we know for sure is that Microsoft will release new Surface products at the start of next month. We expect to see a Surface Laptop 3, Surface Pro 6 and Surface Book 3, all of which should be refreshed with Intel's new 10th Gen Core processors. We might even get an AMD-based Surface Laptop, which was rumored a few months back.
Whatever it is Microsoft has up its sleeve, we're excited to find out, and now there is only a few weeks left to wait.
