Microsoft allegedly planning a Surface 2 successor

Windows RT tablets have been anything but a positive story for Microsoft. The company announced losses of nearly $1 billion with the original Surface RT, probably the biggest Microsoft flop of the past decade. Back in 2013, Microsoft announced the Surface 2 with Windows 8.1 RT, but although significantly improved compared to its predecessor, the new Windows RT tablet failed to impress customers. Back in February, Microsoft officially hinted that Windows RT is dead, but apparently this doesn't mean that Microsoft is done with medium-sized Windows tablets. A new report from winbeta.org claims that Microsoft will launch a successor to the Surface 2 at the Build 2015 conference, an event scheduled to take place between April 29 - May 1.

Winbeta says that Microsoft's Surface 2 successor will run Windows 8.1 at launch, with Microsoft rumored to update the tablet to Windows 10 once the new OS launches this summer. The Redmond-based tech giant is said to offer the new tablet as a mid-sized and less powerful alternative to the 12-inch Surface Pro 3. While the Surface Pro series was exclusively based on Intel Core i processors, the upcoming successor to the Surface 2 is rumored to be launched with either an Intel Atom or an Intel Core M processor.

At the moment, it's unclear if the new tablet will be called the Surface 3. Last year Microsoft was often rumored to launch a tablet called the Surface Mini, but the device was allegedly cancelled at the last minute.

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