Oliver Haslam on July 5, 2016, 10:20 am

Rumor: Microsoft Working On An AIO Desktop Surface PC To Take On Apple’s iMac

Microsoft’s next Surface may be a break from the norm, according to a new report by the notoriously hit-and-miss DigiTimes.

According to the site, Microsoft is hard at work on an all-new Surface that will be very different to the tablets that we are used to. The main reason is that the next Surface will be an all-in-one (AIO) desktop machine rather than a portable. To this point, all of Microsoft’s machines have been notebooks or tablets, but in a world where portable machines are very much on the rise, Microsoft is said to be working to bring its first AIO machine to market.

Microsoft-Surface-AIO

Apple is, of course, the most famous maker of an AIO with its ever-popular iMac. Given the popularity of that machine amongst those who want a computer and monitor to be part of the same unit, taking up less space and reducing cables, the idea of Microsoft giving that particular market a try is not an absurd one. The company has already attempted challenging Apple in the notebook and tablet PC market. This does seems like a possible next step.

There is, of course, a giant elephant in the room and that is the rate at which DigiTimes gets these stories wrong. To its credit, the publication does have hits to go with its misses as well, but for the time being, take this one with a pinch of salt.

As for timescales, if this report is actually accurate, Q3 2016 is the earliest we can expect to see it announced thanks to Microsoft’s decision to await Kaby Lake processors that are still under lock and key within Intel. Replacing its Skylake CPUs, Kaby Lake chips aren’t yet ready for production. When they are, though, the source expects Microsoft to be at the head of the queue. If Apple decides that Kaby Lake should be in its own machines, however, that plan may not work out as intended.

(Source: DigiTimes)