Microsoft Surface PCs: What’s Coming Next

Nearly a decade ago, Microsoft delivered a Surface device that completely changed my expectations for personal computing. The Surface Studio arrived at my doorstep, and from the first moment I powered it on, I was captivated by its floating touchscreen that could tilt down into a flat drawing board. It was unlike anything else on the market. But like many of Microsoft’s most daring creations, it has since been discontinued.

Over the last several years, Microsoft has systematically retreated from the experimental spirit that once defined the Surface brand. The Surface Book with its unique detachable hinge? Gone. The Surface Hub giant touchscreen displays? Gone. The dual-screen Surface Duo running Android? Gone. Even the Surface Laptop Studio, designed as the Surface Book’s successor, has been cut from the lineup.

What remains of the Surface family has shrunk to just two core products: the Surface Laptop and the Surface Pro, offered in various sizes and configurations. Earlier this month, Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 12 and Surface Laptop 8 with Intel processors, while rumors point to Qualcomm-powered consumer versions arriving next month.

Neither of these new devices breaks new ground. They are refinements of an existing formula, offering smaller models with more powerful chips but little else to push the category forward. The real shocker is the price: both start at $1,949.99, a steep figure that could seriously limit adoption among the business users Microsoft is targeting.

Still, there is room for a different kind of Surface. Months of speculation suggest Nvidia is preparing to enter the Windows on Arm market with its own chips, the N1 and N1X. Lenovo and Dell are reportedly working on devices using these new processors, and Nvidia is expected to announce its Arm-powered chips at its Computex keynote this weekend.

Microsoft has history with Nvidia’s Arm chips. The original Surface RT tablet in 2012 used Nvidia’s Tegra processors before the company pivoted to Qualcomm for its Windows on Arm efforts. It seems unlikely Nvidia would re-enter this space without a renewed partnership with Microsoft.

Nvidia’s advantage over Qualcomm will likely be in GPU performance. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips have lagged in graphics, and Nvidia has a clear opportunity to push Windows on Arm gaming laptops forward with stronger GPUs and better driver support.

Could we see a Surface gaming laptop? I’m skeptical. Former Surface chief Panos Panay told me in 2022 that Microsoft sees no need to enter that market because OEMs already serve it well. But the real opportunity may lie in AI. Nvidia is no longer just a gaming company. Its new Arm chips will almost certainly be optimized for local AI agents and workloads. Microsoft has been aggressively making Windows more attractive to AI developers, so a partnership with Nvidia makes perfect sense.

I also expect Microsoft to continue its hardware innovations, like the smart Surface camera originally designed for the Surface Hub. That combination of AI and hardware could eventually appear in regular webcams.

The future of the Surface division remains uncertain, nearly three years after Panay’s departure. Layoffs hit the Surface unit hard in 2023, and the loss of leaders like Panay and former design chief Ralf Groene has left the brand without a public face. Instead of big onstage events, Microsoft now announces new Surface devices through blog posts.

I hope we don’t see more layoffs before Microsoft’s new fiscal year starts in July, but as the company reshapes every part of its business around AI, nothing seems off the table. Where Surface fits into that AI future is still unclear, but Nvidia’s new chips should provide some clues.

Early signals on Xbox Game Pass price changes

Xbox CEO Asha Sharma’s decision to reduce Xbox Game Pass pricing appears to be paying off. In an internal memo to Xbox employees, seen by Notepad, Sharma revealed last week that there is reason for optimism. “Growth slowed down and subscriber loss accelerated after the pricing and SKU changes last year,” Sharma wrote. “Since our price reduction we have seen acquisitions grow and retention improve, which is a good first step.”

It’s an early sign of progress, but Sharma stressed the team still needs to “build” on this and “learn quickly.” The memo was not a victory lap. “We will not solve this in one moment or one launch,” she said. “We will have to outwork the problem in front of us in our path to restore durable growth.”

Sharma also touched on the Xbox to XBOX rebrand that Microsoft began earlier this month. “We are building a stronger XBOX. That means making hard choices about what we build, where we invest, and what kind of company we need to be going forward,” she said. “That is part of what you are starting to see in the shift from Xbox to XBOX. It reflects a decision to be deliberate in how we show up for the players who care most about this brand.”

All eyes are now on next week’s Xbox showcase. After leaks of an Xbox cloud gaming controller and the Xbox Elite 3, it will be interesting to see what Microsoft officially unveils. With Xbox also celebrating its 25th anniversary, there may be room for something more tangible to mark the occasion.

The pad

I’m always keen to hear from readers, so please drop a comment here or reach me at notepad@theverge.com. If you’ve heard about any of Microsoft’s secret projects, you can contact me via email at notepad@theverge.com or speak to me confidentially on Signal at tomwarren.01. I’m also tomwarren on Telegram.

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