Along with its new Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets, Microsoft is expanding its line of covers, unveiling a new Type Cover that promises better key presses, silent typing that you wouldn’t get from a laptop, and backlit keys. The cover comes in purple, pink, blue, and black, and Microsoft says it’s taken a millimeter of travel out of the keys, making the Type Cover 2 nearly as thin as the Touch Cover for the first generation. Though Microsoft has said people will be using the cover “next year,” it’s going on pre-order September 24th just like the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, for an additional $129.99.
Microsoft announces backlit Type Cover 2 for the new Surface line
is a senior tech and policy editor focused on online platforms and free expression. Adi has covered virtual and augmented reality, the history of computing, and more for The Verge since 2011.
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Microsoft has spent a lot of time emphasizing the Surface and Surface Pro’s attractiveness for productivity, with a powerful dock that lets users clip in for work, keyboards and kickstands that make the tablet more laptop-like, and making digs at Apple’s iPad for being unable to handle office work. “It’s clear input that makes you productive. Typing is a scenario that makes you productive,” says Microsoft’s Panos Panay. The company is also, however, trying to make it more appealing outside the office, with colorful covers and partnerships with companies like camera-maker Red Dragon.
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