Word is that jolly old Microsoft is currently hard at work on a new smaller Surface tablet (Surface Mini, if you will) that is destined for release later this year, most probably following the launch of Windows 8.1
But what of Windows 8.1 (or Windows Blue), and why the need for an update this early after the debut of the company’s new platform, Windows 8?
The always reliable (ha, no really, she has an impeccable record with this stuff) Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet citing some unnamed insiders claims that Windows 8.1 is actually Microsoft’s bid towards smaller Surface units.
And the main reason for this is the fact that Windows RT, in its current state, does not play all too well with tablets with screens smaller than 8 inches.
Windows RT, humble yet honorable as it is, has just not been optimized to be used in portrait mode. Add to this the fact that the user interface and the displayed buttons are just too small for slates with a smaller form factor.
Windows 8.1, as things stand, will come with several key improvements for this little conundrum, making it easier not only for Microsoft to release smaller units featuring 7 or 8 inch displays, but also other manufacturers on the market.
Other manufacturers who apparently are waiting to land some blows later this year, with several Windows based tablets in the pipeline.
