Microsoft is in the process of updating its range of Surface tablets following disappontingly weak sales of the original models, the updates to include faster processors and higher-resolution screens and cameras.
Both the ARM-based Windows RT version and Intel-powered Windows 8 edition are being upgraded. Microsoft recently posted a $900m writedown after building more of the first-generation RT versions than it could sell.
Windows-based tablets accounted for a 7% share of global shipments between April and June 2013, according to a study by the tech advisory service Gartner, while Android-based tablets achieved a 48% share and Apple’s iPads a 45% of the market.