Microsoft is scheduling a product launch event for 10:00 AM ET on October 12, 2022. The announcement page doesn’t give much – it’s a multi-colored version of a swirl of Windows 11 desktop wallpaper, which could mean a lot. But the handwritten “save the date”text (as well as rumors published by The Verge and others) suggests it will focus on Microsoft’s Surface hardware line.
Rumors also suggest that the flagship Surface Pro and Surface Laptop are likely to receive an update, although truth be told, there isn’t a single device in the entire line that uses the current generation processor right now. The Surface Laptop Go 2 gets a pass because it’s a budget device that was updated a few months ago, but the Surface Pro, Surface Go 3, Surface Laptop, and Surface Laptop Studio use one or two generations of processors. And the Surface Studio 2 all-in-one is currently It’s been out of stock for a while, but it’s still listed as a current product – so obsolete that Microsoft had to change the Windows 11 system requirements to include it.
Rumors about specific specs and other details have been pretty sketchy so far, but upgrades with 12th Gen Intel processors for the Surface Pro and laptop would be a safe bet. A German-language report from WinFuture suggests that the Surface Pro 9 will feature 12th generation U-series chips, as well as a standalone Arm-based version with a Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 SoC . This report also claims that there will be no sequel to AMD’s Ryzen version of the Surface Laptop 4, although I sincerely hope that’s not true – we’ve been far more impressed with the performance and battery life of the Ryzen 6000 laptops we’ve tested this year than the Intel products 12th generation.
The Surface event is part of a larger campaign that Microsoft is undertaking regarding the Windows 11 2022 update (also known as 22H2), which was released yesterday after several months of testing. A small package of future updates, including tabs for File Explorer and an updated Photos app, will roll out to PCs with Update 2022 starting in October, and Microsoft may use a Surface event to announce the availability of this update.