Hi, I am Panos Panay, Corporate Vice President at Microsoft working on Surface. On September 23rd we’ll be sharing what’s next for Surface at an event in New York. From 3:00-5:00pm Eastern that day I’ll be on Reddit, along with some of the people on my team who drive the design and development of Surface to answer your questions and share some insight into what’s new. We’ve done 2 IAmA's in the past, and the interaction has been great. We’re looking forward to it.

You may have questions about Windows 8.1, Microsoft, or other Microsoft products and I may not be the best person to answer those, but my team and I will try to answer every Surface question I can over the course of the 2 hours. This post can be verified here: http://twitter.com/panos_panay, http://twitter.com/surface and facebook.com/surface

We appreciate all the questions. We're trying to respond to as many as we can. Thanks for your patience.

Comments: 1512 • Responses: 93  • Date: 

Exilify144 karma

Hi Panos, any news on a potential trade-in scheme for current Surface RT/Pro owners to get money off the new devices? Thanks for the AMA.

SurfaceTeam93 karma

This is Brian from the marketing team. we're very happy you're interested. we'll definitely discuss options w/ the MS Store team. we really don't have anything lined up right now though.

I know that's not the answer you wanted... but we'll be back after we investigate options more.

chazwastaken117 karma

Just wanted to say that basic questions like specs, release dates, and pricing are located at the Microsoft Press Site:

Surface 2

Surface Pro 2

Surface Accessories

Some details:

Surface Pro             Estimated retail price
64 GB + Surface pen     $899
128 GB + Surface pen    $999
256 GB + Surface pen    $1,299
512 GB + Surface pen    $1,799
Note: I believe the 256GB and 512GB models have 8GB of RAM, the 64GB and 128GB models have 4GB of RAM

Surface 2   Estimated retail price
32 GB       $449
64 GB       $549

Accessories         Estimated Retail Price
Touch Cover 2       $119.99
Type Cover 2        $129.99
Power Cover         $199.99
Touch Mouse         $69.99
Dock Station        $199.99
Wireless Keyboard Adapter
                    $59.99
Car Charger         $49.99

[From SurfaceTeam comment below]:
Several questions on usable storage. For North America:
Surface 2
32 GB - 18 GB free
64 GB 47 free

Surface Pro 2
64GB 37 free
128GB, 97 free
Free up additional space by creating USB recovery key.

SurfaceTeam42 karma

Several questions on usable storage. For North America:

Surface 2: 32 GB - 18 GB free / 64 GB 47 free Surface Pro 2: 64GB 37 free / 128GB, 97 free

Free up additional space by creating USB recovery key.

 

bingobongo10082 karma

To complete the "one device" vision, are there any plans to add a gaming GPU to the Docking Station? Or even better, a Docking Station with a PCIe so we can just plug in and upgrade our own GPU? That way many would no longer need their gaming desktop and perhaps the Surface would also replace the upcoming "Steamboxes" for many.

Can't wait to get my Surface Pro 2. You're doing it right.

SurfaceTeam38 karma

Thanks for the suggestions, keep them coming! :)

michaelgiles8873 karma

Why was LTE not included on neither Surface nor Surface Pro?

SurfaceTeam105 karma

Great question. We didn't talk about it today, but Surface 2 will be launching an awesome LTE SKU early next year! Nice catch on your part, no one else has asked this question...... what better way to tell people than through Reddit!! Panos

ElGaboGringo47 karma

Your windows apps store says: "You need to have Windows 8 or Windows RT to see and install apps from the Windows Store"

Why would you do this? I need to see which apps you have before I know if I can buy a Surface!

AmericanKryptonite46 karma

No question, but just want to point out that I love my Surface Pro and am glad you have listened to criticism and improved on nearly every point.

SurfaceTeam35 karma

Surface Team - Pete K - Thanks!

SurfaceTeam43 karma

Hi All! This is Panos. we are pumped to be here, a number of the engineers and designers are here with me, along with Julie Larson Green. Very excited to share and answer any questions you may have. Panos

techSage29 karma

Hi! Great announcements today! Please tell me that the power connector is easier to connect in these 2nd gen Surfaces. ?

SurfaceTeam70 karma

Hey, This is Ralf Groene here... The answer is yes :) We spent a lot of time redesigning the profile of the connector, the part that you hold with your fingers. We designed it so it is much easier to position and insert it. We also redesigned the LED on the connector such that you can see its indicator from every angle.

red1two29 karma

Surface team, thanks for doing this. Can the whole new touch cover be used for gestures or just the non key area?

SurfaceTeam46 karma

You bet. the entire key area is live! You can use it for select gestures..... some pretty cool ones.

babyfacedmanchild23 karma

Can... Can i have one?

SurfaceTeam49 karma

Yes! Pre-order tomorrow 9/24, available on 10/22.

lonely_engineer75 karma

Not the answer babyfacedmanchild was expecting

SurfaceTeam40 karma

Sorry.

clubdirthill20 karma

I want a Suface Mini. Should I hold off for later this year, as rumors suggest I should?

SurfaceTeam41 karma

We don't have any additional products to announce today.

MardenB19 karma

Hi Surface Team, We see a lack of NFC, WiFi 802.11ac, and the usage of Intel HD Graphics 4400 instead of HD Graphics 5000 ... there are some explanation to not put this new's technology on this new line of devices?

Tks

SurfaceTeam9 karma

The HD4400 has great performance for the power drawn. We put in dual channel memory for extraordinary PC Mark benchmark scores. We have options for high capacity SSDs up to 512GB. We also have best-in-class 802.11n performance.

johndango17 karma

Will the surface 1 pens and chargers still work with the surface 2?

SurfaceTeam33 karma

Capacitive passive pens that worked on Surface RT will work on Surface 2. The active pen on Pro will work on Pro2. The chargers work across the whole product line, gen 1 and gen 2!

SurfaceTeam19 karma

The Surface Pro pen will work with Surface Pro 2 and the chargers will all work with all.

SurfaceTeam17 karma

yes

ryanzombie16 karma

Are there any plans for reducing the price of the Type Cover? It's pretty expensive...

SurfaceTeam18 karma

We have, they're now available for $79.

shmuntz16 karma

Hi Panos and Juilie, why are you still ignoring Intel Atom CPUs? Anandtech.com in a recent review at http://anandtech.com/show/7314/intel-baytrail-preview-intel-atom-z3770-tested showed that new Intel Atom CPU codenamed Bay Trail outperforms almost every single ARM SoC out there, so what's keeping you from creating perfect $449 Surface that has all bells and whistles of the current ARM based Surface 2 PLUS ALL THE COMPATIBILITY with an ocean of x86 Windows applications?

SurfaceTeam17 karma

We don't ignore. Intel is a great partner to us, and we continue to look at all roadmap options to bring you the best products possible. We are excited about the current products, and we think they meet the needs they were designed for. We will continue to evaluate options for the future.
Julie and Panos

Rainieri16 karma

Please have a 128GB HDD/8GB RAM option. Also, will there be any improvents to the Wacom tech on the touchscreens and what does the MS team think of people using Surface Pros for digital art?

SurfaceTeam18 karma

Thanks for the input. Per the touch and pen digitizer, Pro has been a favorite for people doing digital art, where they need an accurate pen with pressure. For photoshop you have to download the Wacom wintab drivers to get pressure (Wacom.com/feeldriver). FreshPaint is a really cool app for digital art and creation as well. One of the biggest things we have done to help improve the pen scenarios on both the pro and pro2 is minimize the parallax between the pen tip and the image on the screen. Pro and Pro2 have one of the shortest physical parallax of tablets and PCs. This puts the pen tip closer to the image and thus helps you draw more accurately. We took a multiprong approach for pen: low latency, low parallax, hover, pressure, and a unique calibration... the combination gives artists a great pen for art and other pen scenarios.. this continues.

mattdw15 karma

Do the new keyboard covers' touchpads support "Precision Touchpad" functionality that I've heard about in Windows 8.1?

SurfaceTeam16 karma

Yes!! :)

skizztle15 karma

No LTE option? And why not give us Gen 1 people 200GB skydrive for a year or something, I mean throw us a bone I can assure you we are promoting your product. I got 2 friends to buy Pros based on my recommendations.

SurfaceTeam7 karma

Surface Team - TimH - Look for a reply from Panos on LTE/mobile broadband below...

jusrw13 karma

Hello. I am a student and since I have a limited budget, but want the surface pro 2 I have a few questions that are mostly price wise.

If I have a high school student ID, do I qualify for a student discount?

Furthermore, what are the exact specs of the surface pro 2, specifically the specs of the camera? (e.g. How many megapixels)

Will the extra accident insurance be the same price for the surface pro 2?

Lastly, What is the price of the 256gb surface pro 2 with 8gb of ram?

Thank you.

EDIT: Thank you in the comments below for the fact sheet. Panos, I would like answers still to my 1st, 3rd and 4th question. Also what is the megapixels on the cameras? Thanks

alphaorionis8 karma

Ah yeah, a student discount would be so helpful.

A Surface would be basically the most useful thing I could get for school right now but it's way too expensive for a student budget.

SurfaceTeam18 karma

Microsoft Stores offers a 10% discount for students. Go to their web site and check it out! 8GB RAM comes with both 256 and 512GB products.

tall_asian12 karma

Will the Surface 2 come in black as well as silver?

SurfaceTeam17 karma

nope. but I think you'll love the silver!

kaworu198611 karma

Does the new Surface Pro support connected standby? Haswell should support the feature AFAIK but I've heard that 64 bit versions of Windows 8 don't.

Has the Surface team considered making a device based on the new Intel Atom (Bay Trail/Silvermont architecture)? Or was Intel shipping them too late for it to be a viable option?

SurfaceTeam12 karma

Surface Team - TimH - Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 do not support connected standby.

f4denz11 karma

Loving the docking station finally coming out, if you had done that earlier I might have been able to convince my bosses to give the Surface Pro 2 a real hard look as our laptop replacement, I noticed you didn't show much detail of docking and undocking during your launch event today. It appears that it slides open and shut to allow the device to "drop" into the dock, is that correct?

Also will the dock work to charge the device?

SurfaceTeam15 karma

This is Pete K - Program Manager on Surface - the docking station comes with a power supply that will charge your Surface Pro/Surface Pro 2. It does slide open and close to hold your Surface Pro.

veritasf611 karma

Is there finally a way to attach my stylus while my Surface 2 (or Surface 2 Pro) is plugged in?

SurfaceTeam4 karma

I am Yi H. Dev lead from Surface Team. Surface Pro 2 is the same as Surface Pro to this respect.

IHSigV10 karma

If you were trapped on a deserted island and could only have 3 apps on your Surface, what would they be?

SurfaceTeam22 karma

This is Brian. since Dzinestein confirmed wifi... then this gets a little easier... 1. Skype. this is kind of like the get out of jail free card. start calling all over to get picked up sometime. 2. SAS Survival Guide. I gotsta eat! 3. this one gets hard... Solitaire, Halo Spartan, or Netflix. ugh. I give up.

cocks201210 karma

Is haswell fanless?

SurfaceTeam12 karma

No, but it will run cooler and quieter than the previous gen.

MrDoctorLove9 karma

I'm loving my Surface RT at the moment, It's perfect for university! (OneNote Rules!!). Two questions, what feature/improvement of the Surface 2 are you most proud of? Are the new back lit covers compatible with the first generation surfaces? Thanks!

SurfaceTeam4 karma

Chris S - Program manager We love many things about Surface 2, but some of the stand-outs are: The display resolution and color is awesome. Improved kickstand --> 2nd position lets me work in more locations. Browsing speed with Win8.1 and T40 is awesome USB3 file transfers are great

partydolphin9 karma

Hi, Does the Pro 2 support Intel WiDi? or any other wireless display functions?

Or can you make something like the Chromecast for Surface please.

SurfaceTeam20 karma

Miracast.

TheEvilBlight6 karma

Which suggests that the device isn't going with a intel wireless controller again.

Assume no 802.11ac support?

SurfaceTeam5 karma

No 802.11ac support on Pro 2.

anirask9 karma

Hi Panos,

What type of battery life can current Surface Pro owners (Gen1) expect while using the Power Cover? Also, is there perceptible heat being generated while it's in use?

Thanks you!

SurfaceTeam25 karma

50% more. :)

thehiveminded9 karma

My questions are regarding the "Blades" or non keyboard touch covers. Based on the video of the launch event it seems youre obviously considering making different app or task specific covers. I think this is pretty awesome and I'm excited at the idea that this could eventually evolve into a second screen that magnetically clips on and we'd finally have the Courier that so many were excited about!

Anyway my question is do you plan on releasing these other touch covers incrementally as you create them throughout the year between surface refreshes or will we have to wait till next year?

SurfaceTeam5 karma

Great question thehivemind, all the info we have on the Surface Remix Project is online at surfaceremixproject.com

instant_moksha9 karma

How are you planning to pitch Surface products to doctors? What more are you planning to offer to physicians to make Surface products a compelling choice for them?

I need something that I can use to organize my pre-rounds, take hand-written notes during morning report, rounds (while standing), retrieve labs from the hospital network, review PACS and then complete patient notes on my secure EHR system. I also need to be able to do all of these things securely while taking call from home. All these services need to be integrated seamlessly with a fast and intuitive interface. I don't want to have to jump between different programs to achieve this.

There is a scope for Microsoft to revolutionize healthcare here. With these solutions physicians will be able to complete their work faster, more accurately, and will be able to devote more time to actually talk to the patients. I feel sad that there's so much scope and potential here and nobody's exploiting it. With Surface you have the edge which your competitors do not. Don't miss out on this opportunity here like you missed out on the whole tablet revolution.

And please bring indispensable medical apps like Medscape, Epocrates to Windows App Store. That is one reason why many physicians around the world are shying away from buying Windows phones.

SurfaceTeam16 karma

The Surface Pro is the perfect device for doctors. It has all of the security and protection of a full PC, can work out of the box with EMR systems like Cerner and Epic and with the pen, you can take notes with a ton of accuracy. If you haven’t seen it, check out this video of Dr. Nick Patel using his Surface at Palmetto Health. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mlKtMINgn0

CKtalon9 karma

Does the Power Cover come with backlit keys?

EDIT: Why are you releasing it so late (Early 2014) when it seems perfectly usable now?

SurfaceTeam8 karma

No, but on Surface Pro 2, you'll get 2.5x the battery life compared to previous version.

LeftStep229 karma

back-lit type cover? very yes. will it work with the older Surface?

SurfaceTeam18 karma

Yes! Both Touch 2 and Type 2 covers work with all Surface products and these products all have backlighting. Power Cover works with Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, and Surface 2.

SurfaceTeam9 karma

Yes, most definitely! :)

GabrielBonilla8 karma

How do your company plan to compete with the already dominant Ipad? (Love your product btw) oh and also, do you like beer?

SurfaceTeam39 karma

This is Julie. We’ll compete by appealing to people who have both a laptop and iPad in their bag today. And yes, I like a good hoppy IPA.

phenomii1090t8 karma

Hi Panos and company, Will the Surface Pro II or the Surface II have NFC enabled? I use Bluetooth to transfer documents from my Lumia 920 to my Surface Pro on a daily basis, even hourly sometimes since the Surface Pro does not have LTE support. It's a bit of a hassle having to handshake them together every time I want to transfer a file. NFC just seems like the best option to utilize that functionality.

That being said, if NFC IS included, will it have compatibility with other devices (Andriod, ios shiver, or even NFC tags?) People I work with don't have the bumper to bumper benefits of Microsoft products I do, but it would be great to be able to share stuff faster.

Also, With the integration of the "blade" would there be any possibility of a straight up screen that users could customize to their control needs (Think Nintendo DS) so that rather than buying a cover for everything, you could have a cover for anything? I bring up that point because I do a lot of audio and video production. If you could create a control unit for a sound system for example and run all your EQ and sliders from a touch cover, then swap over to a keyboard to type notes, or to a "gaming" pad to play games, the possibilities could be endless! Granted I'd expect to pay a pretty penny for that functionality.

That was... longer than intended, But Thanks and keep up the killer work!

SurfaceTeam13 karma

Let me flip the blade question around. Your gaming blade idea is very cool. What other blades would you like to see? Why don't you spin up a subreddit on this topic?

Bigsam41121 karma

E-Ink Blade would be awesome.

SurfaceTeam12 karma

awesome idea. what else would you do?

lukelhg7 karma

Just wanted to say thanks for including Ireland in the initial launch countries this time! Last year, I had to buy my Surface RT From Microsoft Germany and my Touch Cover from Microsoft UK and use Parcel Motel which was messy. :)

SurfaceTeam5 karma

:) We are so excited!

dereck2556 karma

Will the new Surface accessories (such as the power cover and dock) work on the older Surface RT and Surface Pro tablets?

SurfaceTeam13 karma

For sure! Dock will work with Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2.

fireeast6 karma

Good Morning Panos,

Will Microsoft include a type cover 2 for pre-orders?

SurfaceTeam6 karma

We will! You can pre-order starting tomorrow @ www.surface.com/pre-order.

socket16 karma

What kind of performance can I expect to see on the dock's output for dual displays? Also, can I expect to keep the internal display powered on as well? I'm seeking to replace my two year old ThinkPad with a Surface Pro 2.

SurfaceTeam14 karma

This is Mick, a Program Manager on the Surface Pro 2 team. The Surface Pro 2 will support dual external display at 2560x1600 along with the internal display. The DisplayPort 1.2 on the Surface Pro 2 will allow for daisy chaining on to 2 monitors. This will be a great replacement for your Thinkpad.

Xiara6 karma

Hey Panos, thanks a lot for learning from last year and actually having a global launch for all the products! Good job!

SurfaceTeam4 karma

We are def excited! Don't forget to pre-order starting tomorrow!

SurfaceTeam2 karma

Your welcome! Thanks for the constructive comment :-) Panos

Letros5 karma

Which Intel HD model is in the Surface Pro 2?

SurfaceTeam4 karma

HD4400.

SurfaceTeam4 karma

The HD 4400. Thanks for the question.

SurfaceTeam3 karma

This is Pete K from Surface Team: Intel 4400HD

purify25 karma

Hi Panos. I'm a huge fan of Surface and find the aspect of potentially using one for app development exciting, however like many students it's simply too expensive. Will MS be offering discount for students as the form factor of the device makes it incredibly useful for people like me.

SurfaceTeam8 karma

Microsoft Stores offers a 10% discount for all students

rocketsr715 karma

Hello Panos! Is the SSD in the Surface Pro 2 a PCIe SSD drive? Why not refresh the camera on the Surface Pro 2? Also, the Surface Pro has a very high resolution for a 10.6" screen, any improvements to refine the user experience at such high resolutions?

SurfaceTeam16 karma

No, it's not PCIe, it's MSATA. In fact, it's low-power MSATA for even better battery life. Focus for Surface Pro 2 was on Battery life and 'lapability'. The Surface Pro 2 screen was improved with 46% more accurate color.

jeniablakebear775 karma

So Surface team definitely Wowed me today. The upgrades to the hardware I expected but the improvements to the accessories/peripherals were unexpected and impressive.

I noticed during the presentation that you said the speakers were now dolby certified. First question is, does the Surface 2 as well as the Surface Pro 2 have this feature? and second question is, are the speakers physically different from the generation 1 models or are they simply digitally enhanced versions of the gen1 models?

SurfaceTeam9 karma

Steve Masters - Surface PM: Yes, the speakers in both Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 have been upgraded to new speakers. Both Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 have Dolby processing built-in to enhance the audio experience

tezawaly5 karma

1) Your fact sheet explains:

Type Cover 2: 256 grams
Power Cover: 0.55 lbs (250 grams)

Is this correct? Is the Power Cover lighter than Type Cover 2 while it has external battery?

2) Did you add F1-F12 function name to the first row of Touch cover 2?

SurfaceTeam10 karma

Hey This is StevieB. The have always been there :) they were just hidden.. Hit the Fn key and hit the corresponding key. They were just not labeled.

BradGroux5 karma

Hey Panos, I adore my Surface Pro and take it with me everywhere... as someone who travels 80% of the time, it has literally changed my life.

Anyway, I love the PowerCover - can you tell me if it is backlit like the Touch/TypeCovers?

Keep up the great work!

SurfaceTeam10 karma

Hi, thank you for your support on the Surface Pro. We focused the power cover on longest battery life possible. We thus did not support backlight key on the Power cover.

Otha8ric4 karma

Help me buy from you. How can I justify the purchase of a Surface Pro to my wife, if I already have a 1.5-year-old ultrabook running W8, a latest-gen iPad, and a Kindle?

SurfaceTeam6 karma

Buy it for her! :-) Panos

BryanTheCrow4 karma

My #1 complaint about my Surface: Volume is WAY too low. Have you fixed this in a meaningful way with v2?

SurfaceTeam4 karma

Yes we have!

SurfaceTeam4 karma

Steve M - Program Manager Surface Team: Both Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 have new enhanced speakers and Dolby built-in for a better user experience.

terriblycold4 karma

Hi Panos , thanks for doing this , Surface Music Kit , how did you come with this concept , and will you let Third Party Apps flourish with it , also any more accessories we need to keep an eye on .

SurfaceTeam7 karma

We always dreamed of extending the Surface platform using the blade interface. We created it with this concept in mind from day one. Glad you like it... keep an eye out for more.

anonymfus4 karma

Will we see more types of attachable covers later? May be SmartGlass cover for easier Xbox remote control and gaming?

SurfaceTeam8 karma

Hey this is Stevie, with Touchcover 2 we moved from 80 pressure sensors, to 1092... this did 3 things. 1) improved typing accuracy cause we can catch the hits between keys (think centroid for your key press), 2) the high resolution also increased sensitivity of the touchcover so you can type faster but it I still safe to rest your hands on the keyboard without falsely actuating keys, and finally 3) it enables gestures (swiping across the keyboards etc..). This unique digitizer platform we built can enable a number of different blades and unique interactions. We are super excited about the possibility. ToucCover2 is basically a really big pressure sensitive touch pad. It can sense your hands, it is super fast (picking up all the transient interactions that happen on a millisecond level)... the surfaceremixproject is just the beginning. :)

techSage4 karma

Does the Surface 2 support the use of the stylus (i.e. does it has an active digitizer?

SurfaceTeam4 karma

Surface 2 does not have an Active Pen, but you can use a passive capacitive pen.. OneNote and other pen supported applications, e.g. fresh paint, the other office apps, all will work nicely in this scenario.

SurfaceTeam4 karma

No, but it will work with capacitive pens.

AmericanKryptonite4 karma

What kind of battery life will we see with the Surface 2 (not Pro) coupled with a Power Cover?

SurfaceTeam7 karma

we are extremely confident in 17 hours. generally crazy long.

cool thing too is that the cover charges the device, so you could plug it in, use for a while, and then unplug after it fully charges.

SurfaceTeam5 karma

Surface 2 will have approx. 20% more battery life compared to the original Surface. With Power Cover, you can expect double that.

kwebb17014 karma

Will the Dock Station work with a 1st gen Surface Pro? I would be really interested in this for the Surface Pro I have at work!

SurfaceTeam7 karma

Yes :)

SurfaceTeam6 karma

you bet. We designed it for you! Panos

SurfaceTeam4 karma

Yes!!

maximus_hertus3 karma

When connecting the Pro 1(!) to the Dockingstation, will it be able to handle 2 external Displays (and the own Display at the same time)?

SurfaceTeam3 karma

On the Surface Pro 2 you will be able to handle 2 external displays at 2560x1600 while the internal display is also on. The external displays will need to be daisy chain capable via DisplayPort 1.2. The Surface Pro 1 is still DisplayPort 1.1 and does not support multiple display out.

way2lazy2care3 karma

Have you guys considered releasing a keyboard/dock that functions more like the clamshell design of something like Samsung's Ativs? I understand wanting a kickstand for when you are using it without a keyboard, but I feel like the only reason I don't want to buy a surface is I still can't shake the feeling that it would be awkward on the lap.

SurfaceTeam4 karma

You gotta try it! You must. It feels great in the lap, and the opportunity to use it as a tablet at any time is an awesome experience.

omgwtfmason3 karma

Will there be more features added to the final version of Windows 8.1 that weren't in the preview?

SurfaceTeam5 karma

This is Julie. With 8.1 you’ll find several improvements since the preview…some of them notable. For example, the new Mail app, new Xbox Music and Video, new Food and Drink app from Bing with hands-free gestures for your recipes. And more!

noroom3 karma

I have a couple of hardware questions, if I may.

  • Is the power connector any different than the one on the current Surface RT? I find at times it's very difficult to get it to connect correctly.

  • With the new, flatter angle on the kickstand, doesn't it greatly increase the risk of it being opened too far and breaking?

SurfaceTeam7 karma

Hi, Ralf G here... We redesigned the power connector so it is easier to hold and insert. We also redesigned the LED indicator so you can see it from every angle.

On the kickstand... We put a ton on design time into this feature. The new kickstand will not break on you in use. We made it a top priority to make sure it is the most sturdy part we could design.

Nebulaeus3 karma

The first Surface RT was a 5 point multitouch display. Is this changed on the Surface 2?

SurfaceTeam4 karma

This is Taehwan - Program Manager on Surface - Surface 2 supports 5-point multitouch display as Surface RT.

starbuck673 karma

Hi Panos, I bought an RT a few weeks ago and really quite like it.

I just wanted to ask whether the new touch keyboard cover will be compatible with the RT? The increased sensitivity seems like it may allay some of my frustration with the current touch keyboard cover.

SurfaceTeam5 karma

Absolutely. Both the Type Cover 2 and Touch Cover 2 are compatible with all Surface products. Power Cover will work with all Surface devices except Surface RT. The increase in sensors does make typing more accurate, including when you type between keys. I hope you enjoy it.

SurfaceTeam3 karma

Yes it will! :)

AMRAAM_Missiles3 karma

Hi Panos,i want to ask when will the Power cover be available for pre-ordering? And i want to ask if you guys has been testing that on the 1st gen Surface Pro and see how much improvement it brings for the Ivy Bridge. Thanks.

SurfaceTeam4 karma

TimH - Program Manager on Surface - We expect around 50% improvement in battery life for 1st gen Surface Pro with Surface Power Cover.

dereck2553 karma

when will the new type and touch covers be available? any idea on price?

SurfaceTeam3 karma

The new Surface Covers will be available on 10/22 and the new Touch Cover 2 is at $119.99 in the US and the new Type Cover 2 is at $129.99.

Nehalem253 karma

How bright does the Surface display get?

SurfaceTeam10 karma

400 nits.

tolerant_man3 karma

How come the MacBook Air can run for over 10 hours with a corei5 and surface can't?

SurfaceTeam8 karma

The 13" MBA has a 54Whr. Surface Pro 2 has a 42Whr battery. We do this to balance thickness and weight with performance. With Power Cover, which has a 30Whr battery, you will get comfortably more than 10 hours.

SurfaceTeam7 karma

Worth adding, that MacBook air is lower screen resolution and lower DPI..

f4denz3 karma

So in gen 1 the type was only in black and touch were in colors, it looks like on spec sheets that touch 2 is only black, while type 2 is in colors, is this right?

SurfaceTeam4 karma

That is correct. There are 4 colors for Type Cover 2, and Touch Cover 1 is in black. However, generation 1 Touch Covers will stay in market for $79 and continue to offer a selection of colors.

weetigo3 karma

Will you offer the same Student Deals (10% discount) for Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2?

SurfaceTeam4 karma

Yes - through Microsoft Store

SurfaceTeam3 karma

Thanks for joining everyone. We're passionate about Surface and love the energy you bring to these events. We'll be back in the future. Check out the new products at Surface.com/pre-order and stay tuned. -Julie, Panos & the Surface Team

jubbing3 karma

Panos and team, for my original surface rt, I was really disappointed that there weren't more high end covers or cases or sleeves for my tablet. By high end I mean fashion such as Burberry or Armani etc (but even smaller leather brands), don't make any other cases for non iPad products. Do you, even if its a small market and people might not car, think this could change in the future? I just want to buy a quality case which I can take my surface around in. (basically 3rd party cases, high end - can we ever expect them for Surfaces?)

SurfaceTeam6 karma

We completely agree and are continuing to expand our portfolio of 3rd party cases across a bunch of different price points.

_karans2 karma

Other ideas for covers:

  1. A cover for drawing? (Wacom like)
  2. Dedicated gaming cover
  3. A cover for specific music instruments? (Piano, for instance?)

I really hope you'll launch a lot more covers for a lot of use cases! That would be a whole ecosystem of it's own and if you open it to third parties, it's going to be amazing :D

SurfaceTeam2 karma

Awesome ideas. The #RemixProject is just the beginning. What would you want to see in a dedicated gaming cover?

standinginalley2 karma

Do you guys plan to sell Surface in other countries or still sticking with the same territories?

SurfaceTeam2 karma

Two new Surface models – Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2—along with an expanded portfolio of new Surface accessories, will be available at Microsoft retail stores, MicrosoftStore.com, and select third-party retailers in 22 initial markets, including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States on October 22, and China in early November. Additional markets will be announced in the coming months.

chirag52 karma

The new dock is awesome!! Love u guys fot that. Will it work with 1st gen pro?

SurfaceTeam2 karma

Yes, it'll work with both Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2. :)

SurfaceTeam2 karma

Yes it will work with Surface Pro :)

hariseldon22 karma

Are you of cypriot descent?

SurfaceTeam2 karma

Yes I am! Panos

WithinRafael1 karma

Will both SKUs support the Wireless Display feature (i.e. Miracast) in Windows 8.1?

SurfaceTeam3 karma

they will have the SAME miracast support

johndango-1 karma

Will the surface 1 pens and chargers still work with the surface 2?

SurfaceTeam2 karma

Yes the Surface Pro 2 pen will work on Surface Pro.