Microsoft has a Surface-related event on May 20th and everyone expects to see the Surface Mini launched, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU in tow. This model is expected to have full stylus support and recently Bloomberg said it was going to be an Intel-based Surface in the end.
Well, today CNET says that the Intel-based Surface will actually opt for a Haswell and not a powerful Intel Atom, as expected. The media outlet quotes a source close to Microsoft and in case the Qualcomm rumor was true, we may end up with 2 versions. Microsoft already has an Intel Haswell product called Surface Pro 2, starting at $899. The ARM Surface 2 starts at $459 and the rumored Surface Mini 2 is also said to be ARM based, to keep the price low.
Now, this new Surface with a Haswell chip may get a higher price, somewhere close to the Surface Pro 2, which I don’t think is the right strategy. I fancy a price below $500, if possible, or even $400, but that’s a mere wet dream when we’re talking about Microsoft.
