Microsoft's Surface Pro 5 isn't coming anytime soon
Surface VP Panos Panay says 'there's no such thing,' but he doesn't rule out an update.
If you were hoping Microsoft's upcoming Shanghai event would be the debut of the Surface Pro 5, we've got some bad news. In an interview with CNET last week, Surface chief Panos Panay explains that the company won't debut another model until there's "an experiential change that makes a huge difference in product line." Panay says that the "meaningful change" goes beyond updating to the latest processor to things like considerably better battery life and a notable weight reduction.
So, what does that mean for the next Surface Pro exactly? Well, Panay makes that clear. "There's no such thing as the Surface Pro 5," he says. He also notes that Surface Pro 4 owners have a device that he thinks will be a workhorse for a while.
"What I'm super, super sure of is that the people using a Pro 4 have a product that's going to be competitive for five years," Panay explains.
As for the event on May 23rd, Panay will be in attendance and his announcement of the proceedings on Twitter indicates there may be some Surface news at the event. If the initial rumblings are indeed true, perhaps we're in for a refreshed Surface Pro 4 with Kaby Lake processors rather than an entirely redesigned model. Whatever the case may be, we'll know for sure in a few short weeks.
