Second Generation Surface Pro Tablet Is Now Official

Panos Panay, the head of the Surface division at Microsoft, has just made official the second generation Surface Pro at a glittering little event in New York City.

The company calls this a device that is aimed squarely at professionals and pro users that demand power on the go. Panay noted that this refreshed model of the Surface Pro comes with a bunch of noticeable improvements both under the hood and over it.

First up is the ClearType HD display that has been improved with 46 percent better color accuracy. This alone makes it better than most other tablets available on the market, the executive claimed.

But at the same time, the device is now 95 percent faster than most laptops available on the market right now, to go with the 50 percent improvement in graphics and visual processing.

These new enhancements are possible because of the Intel Haswell CPU, Panay said. Also new is the previously rumored dual kickstand:

“Surface Pro 2 is a very significant upgrade on top of that strength, with meaningful battery-life improvements so it lasts nearly a full workday, a dual-stage kickstand that works great on your lap, and even faster performance.”

In terms of raw numbers, the overall performance of the slate is 20 percent better than the first generation model. Battery, however, is a smashing 75 percent improved, which should alleviate one of the most common complaints of the first generation model.

Apparently, the Surface Pro 2 does not come with a Windows logo on the kickstand.

Instead the device makes use of a Surface branding — this, Microsoft says, should help in differentiation between the first and second generation tablets.