Microsoft Surface Pro 5 isn’t coming anytime soon: Report

Microsoft may not launch the Surface Pro 5 at the company's planned event in Shanghai on May 23.

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Microsoft isn’t planning to release the Surface Pro 5 in the market anytime soon. (Image of the Surface Pro 4 for representation)

Microsoft may not launch the Surface Pro 5 at the company’s planned event in Shanghai on May 23. That’s according to Microsoft’s VP for Surface devices, Panos Panay.

In an interview to CNET, Panay has clarified that “there’s no such thing as a Pro 5”. Surface Chief explains that the company won’t debut the successor to the Surface Pro 4 next week. Instead, the launch of the fifth-generation Surface Pro will only happen when the company can bring some “meaningful” change, said Panay. The tech giant is looking for an “experimental change that makes a huge difference in product line”.

Panay’s words doesn’t mean that Microsoft has no plans to launch the Surface Pro 5 in the market at all. It appears that Microsoft is delaying the release of the Surface Pro 5, in order to build some momentum for the newly released Surface Laptop, which runs on the company’s Windows 10 S operating system. Priced at $999 (or approx Rs. 64,667), the Surface Laptop is aimed at the education market.

The news of Microsoft delaying the release of the Surface Pro 5 comes right ahead of a mysterious event that the company plans to hold in Shanghai on May 23. Last week, Panay took to Twitter and Instagram to tease the May 23 event. The company says that it will “show the world what’s next” in Shanghai, without hinting at the announcement.

The latest rumour is that Microsoft will release the Surface Pro 5 in Shanghai – but some reports also indicate that the successor to the Surface Pro 4 will be marginally better. The current-generation Surface Pro 4 hasn’t got a refresh since its launch in 2015. The device is now showing its age- and the company can’t ignore the fact that Surface hardware revenue dropped by 26 per cent year-over-year for Microsoft’s recent completed quarter.

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