Microsoft’s first attempt at the Surface tablet fell flat on its face, but not due to hardware problems. Instead, the Surface tablet lacked an app store that could compete with the iPad or Google Play.
The second generation Surface 2 did fix some of those problems, simply by waiting a year for app developers to start porting their applications onto Windows RT and Windows 8.
Surface 3 could be the breakthrough for Microsoft, with more apps being added onto the store and a boost in performance, we may see some big Windows fans flock to the new tablet.
The performance is set to come from the Tegra K1 chip, the 192 graphics core mobile processor. We have yet to see the Tegra K1 chip on any smartphone or tablet, but early benchmarks show it ahead of the competition.
What the Tegra K1 can offer is high-quality games, the likes of which would be available on console and PC. If Microsoft can work some deals in for Halo and their other owned franchises, to be on the Surface 3, this may be a big win for the company.
More importantly, the Tegra K1 could be a signal for all games developers who want to make high-end games on mobile. We have not heard of any other partnership between Nvidia for the Tegra K1, but it is likely the Surface 3 will come running the chip.
Rumors point to a distant 2014 launch, possibly around the time Apple announce their new iPad’s. Until then, Microsoft is looking to get out their Surface Mini, an 8-inch tablet to compete with the iPad Mini and cheap Android tablets.
The Surface Mini will sport a quad-core processor (possibly the Tegra 4) and 2GB of RAM, alongside Windows RT and a ton of new accessories developed by Microsoft.
