Microsoft has invited members of the press to a "small gathering" on May 20th for an event focused on Surface. The "small" part of the teaser invite appears to be an obvious hint at an upcoming Surface mini tablet. Details on a smaller Surface first emerged more than a year ago, but recent reports suggest Microsoft delayed the tablet over fears production could limit its availability. Bloomberg News reports that Microsoft will now unveil a small Surface tablet on May 20th, powered by a Qualcomm processor and Windows RT.

New Intel-based Surface model rumored

While many existing 8-inch Windows tablets run Intel's Atom processors and a full versio …

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Microsoft has reportedly been working on a miniature version of its Surface tablet for nearly two years, but the wait may be over. The company has just sent out invitations to a Microsoft Surface event on May 20th, with the tagline "Join us for a small gathering."

While that could obviously simply refer to a small gathering of attendees to see the latest device that Microsoft has to offer, it seems far more likely to be a tease for the company's latest product, particularly since Microsoft already recently refreshed the full-size Surface line of devices. An early 2014 release date for the Surface Mini would also line up with last September' …

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Microsoft has long been rumored to be preparing a Surface "mini," and the company's tablet creator has revealed he's working on multiple new Surface devices. Speaking at a special Surface event at Microsoft's Seattle store last night, Panos Panay didn't answer Surface mini questions directly, but he did confirm different shapes and sizes for the future. "We have a lot of great things that we are thinking about and working on, and there are multiple aspect ratios and sizes and awesome things to come from Surface," he said. "That's the best answer I have for you."

In a recent interview with The Verge, Panay merely hinted the team was "working on …

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Microsoft's heavily rumored Surface mini tablet may not debut this holiday season. According to ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft is delaying its launch due to a needed software update. Previous reports had indicated Microsoft would go into full production of the Surface mini by the end of the year, but the company has remained silent about any smaller tablet plans. With no mention of the Surface mini at its Surface 2 event earlier this week, Foley claims Microsoft will ship the device in early 2014 instead.

The reason for the delay is said to be due to a Windows 8.1 "Spring 2014 GDR" software update. The General Distribution Release (known as …

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Microsoft unveiled its Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 tablets earlier this week, but speculation continues over a rumored smaller Surface "mini" device that the company refuses to comment on. CNET reports that both NPD DisplaySearch and IHS iSuppli analyst firms believe that Microsoft's smaller Surface tablet will ship with a 7.5-inch display. The Verge understands Microsoft has been testing several screen sizes for future Surface products, including a unique 7.5-inch display.

The software maker currently uses 10.6-inch displays for its Surface RT, Surface Pro, Surface 2, and Surface Pro 2 tablets. A 10.6-inch display is not widely used by PC man …

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Leading up to Microsoft's Build developer conference there were a number of rumors related to a possible Surface announcement. Now that both keynotes are over it's clear there's no new 7- or 8-inch Surface tablet or a refreshed Haswell Surface Pro. However, Microsoft appears to be dropping some accidental hints at the future of Surface and other 7- and 8-inch tablets.

In a session today at Build, on building apps across multiple screen sizes, Microsoft showed off some of the anticipated screen sizes for small Windows 8.1-powered tablets. Although the list, used in the company's developer tools for testing, wasn't exhaustive, one particular …

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Microsoft is planning to refresh its Surface RT with a Qualcomm processor. Existing Surface RT devices use Nvidia's Tegra 3 chipset, but Bloomberg reports that a refreshed version will ship using Qualcomm processors, while Nvidia continues to be a supplier for "some versions." The switch to Qualcomm, which appears to be for unannounced Surface RT devices, will likely come into effect later this year.

The first Surface with LTE support?

Sources familiar with Microsoft's Surface plans have revealed to The Verge that the company is testing Windows RT 8.1 Surface devices with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor. The chip includes integrated LTE …

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The Wall Street Journal reports that a new lineup of Surface tablets is in the works from Microsoft, including a 7-inch version. It's not yet clear what form the new Surface might take, but the Journal claims the 7-inch model will go into mass production later this year. The news follows Microsoft's recent adjustment of the Windows 8 specification to allow for smaller tablets with a 1024 x 768 resolution. The Verge also understands that Redmond has begun work on a 7-inch tablet under the Xbox brand, although the Journal's report doesn't mention gaming.

According to one of the Journal's sources, Microsoft only recently decided to move forwar …

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