Recently, a special report from Neowin documented a different kind of hands-on experience, this time with the publication’s Brad Sams supposedly getting his hands on an actual Microsoft Surface Mini. Though he wasn’t allowed to post any photos of the once-heavily rumored slate, he did say that Microsoft had “killed the wrong product” when it mysteriously decided to cancel the device’s launch just as it was expected to arrive alongside the Surface Pro 3.
What makes the Surface Mini, or what would have made it such a good device? Sams said in his report that the Surface Mini was to come with an 8-inch display, a Qualcomm processor of unknown type mated to 1 GB RAM, and Windows RT 8.1 out of the box as its key basic specs. Features were to include microSD and USB support, OneNote integration, as well as the exact same pen the Surface Pro 3 came with. He described its design as akin to the Surface Pro 3, but with “a smaller form factor.” The device was supposed to work with a “fantastic case” with some similarities to the Type Covers, but with several “defining features” that combine to make the Surface Mini “feel like a portfolio.”
All told, Sams seemed to be very impressed with the Surface Mini, based on his hands-on test and the device’s potential to have done well in the market, something that a separate report from InfoWorld agreed with. The latter report was more of an op-ed, and according to the publication, the Surface Mini was killed off because Microsoft “didn’t want to put (and support) another Windows RT machine.”
Woody Leonhard’s op-ed for InfoWorld, in a similar vein to Sams’ glowing piece for NeoWin, agreed with how the Surface Mini would have been a good device had it seen the light of day. But Leonhard also opined that shelving the device was a “good call,” due to the general lack of interest in Windows RT-powered devices like the aging Surface 2 and Nokia 2520, both of which have gotten generous price cuts. In conclusion, he opined that Windows RT the operating system may be headed for extinction, which may not be surprising as Microsoft pushes forward with its “One Windows” initiative and tries to standardize the OS across devices.