Microsoft will hold an October launch event to debut new hardware, including phones and tablets, sources told technology website The Verge Thursday.
The Verge, citing anonymous sources “familiar with Microsoft’s plans,” confirmed multiple new hardware devices would be debuted this fall. Among them: revamped Surface Pro 4 tablet, and phones Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL.
The new devices would come on the heels of Microsoft’s latest operating system, Windows 10, released as a free upgrade July 28. The launch would reveal how smartphones will fit into the new Windows 10 ecosystem, The Verge said.
Visitors look at Windows-enabled smartphones, including the Nokia Lumia series, at the Microsoft stand at the 2015 CeBIT trade fair on March 16, 2015 in Hanover, Germany.
The Windows 10 roll out included a new app store available across computers, tablets and phones, complete with a companion app that enables iPhones, Android or Windows phones to work seamlessly with Windows 10.
Previous leaked photos have already created buzz about the latest Lumia models, The Verge said, against the backdrop of Windows 10’s expanded capabilities. The Lumia 435 and 532 released in January, along with the 640 and 640 XL released in March, all fall on the affordable end of the spectrum, Microsoft said in press releases.
More may become clear in a few weeks: IFA Berlin— a major technology trade show known for innovative debuts—is in early September.
Rumors of new hardware come just a month after Microsoft announced it would restructure its phone hardware business. The company said it would move thousands of jobs and resources away from its Nokiaphone business to pivot to “a more effective and focused phone portfolio while retaining capability for long-term reinvention in mobility,” CEO Satya Nadella wrote in an email to employees.
In the first few months of 2015, Microsoft’s platform saw its share of the U.S. smartphone market decline to 3 percent in April from 3.6 percent in January, according to research firm comScore. Shares of Microsoft are trading down 1 percent year to date.
Microsoft declined to comment further on the reports.
(cnbc.com)