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Microsoft yesterday launched a salvo of gadgets in the battle for your Christmas cash, with a slew of new products announced at a Windows 10 event in New York. These include its latest “laptop-replacement tablet”, the Surface Pro 4 , and an updated fitness-tracking wearable, the Band 2 — both of which are now available for preorder in the UK.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 4 starts at £749 for the most basic model, which includes 128GB of storage, 4GB of RAM and an Intel Core m3 processor. As with its predecessors, you’ll be able to control the Surface using a click-in keyboard and a stylus, while propping up the tablet on a built-in kickstand.
It’s lighter, thinner and has a bigger screen than previous Surface Pro devices , as well as boasting a built-in fingerprint sensor, facial-recognition camera and the latest Intel processors. According to Microsoft’s UK website, if you order now, your Surface Pro should be with you by 12 November.
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With several major updates including a new curved screen and a barometer, the Band 2 is also up for preorder, with prices starting at £200. The wearable, which is Microsoft’s rival to Garmin , Jawbone and Fitbit devices, goes on sale properly on 19 November.
Windows 10 has been available for 10 weeks and the products Microsoft has shown off this week are among the first built specifically for the latest version of the company’s software. It’s a crucial moment for Microsoft as it attempts to make a success of Windows 10, following the poor reception of its previous software, Windows 8, and its failure to match the success of Apple and Google in terms of smartphone market share.
As well as the Surface Pro 4 and the Band 2, the company also unveiled the first ever Microsoft-built laptop, dubbed the Surface Book , and the very first phones for Window 10, the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950XL . There are no UK-specific prices available yet for these products, but that doesn’t mean they won’t go on sale in the region.
Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablet gets a powerful upgrade (pictures)
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