Surface Pro 3 May Break Release Timeline

While the reference is thin, the possibility of a reveal of the third in a line of Surface Pro tablets may be upon us. This week a Microsoft support document spoke of a Surface Pro 3. This is the first time a Microsoft document or official has made reference to such a tablet.

Since we're so close to a Surface press event – one set to take place next week – the obvious connection must be made. Next week in New York City, we must assume we'll see more than just one Surface tablet.

It's been assumed too that the Surface Mini (or Surface mini, if you prefer) will be revealed for the first time at this New York Surface event on the 20th of May. We've heard multiple rumors over the past few weeks about this smaller Surface tablet, all leading in on a device that runs Windows RT and presents a value proposition akin to the iPad mini.

With the Surface Pro 2 we saw a device revealed less than a year after its first edition with original Surface Pro. The timeline would potentially go as follows:

Surface Pro I: revealed November 2012, on sale January 2013Surface Pro II: revealed in September 2013, on sale October 2013Surface Pro III: revealed May 2014, on sale June 2014*

*These are potential dates, of course.

There were 10 months between the reveal dates of the first and second Surface Pro tablets. If the Surface Pro III is revealed this month, there will have been 8 months between the release of the previous generation and this one.

There was also a sly Surface Pro 2 CPU update in January of 2014. This makes the reveal of a new Surface Pro less likely, but not completely impossible.

Also rumored for this event is an Intel-based Surface tablet. The Surface Mini will not feature an Intel processor, instead more likely running with ARM architecture.

VIA: The Verge