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Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 2 at its event on Monday, the successor to its first-generation tablet that won kudos for its design approach as well as its bold attempt to dislodge the iPad's hold on the market.
While we now know that the Surface Pro didn’t fare as well as Microsoft might have hoped, the updated version offered several new features that may spark new interest in the company’s tablet efforts.

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From the outset it was clear that Microsoft listened to user complaints about the Surface Pro’s battery life, as the Surface Pro 2 offers a amazing 75% improvement in battery life. The battery upgrade instantly makes the Surface Pro 2 a device better suited for heavy usage throughout the day rather than sparingly in battery-conscious spurts.
The device’s battery life will also be helped by the addition of Intel’s Haswell processor. In addition to the overall battery improvement, using the device’s added power cover effectively will add 2.4-times the battery life to the tablet.
Like Microsoft’s first unveiling of the Surface line of tablets, the company still has a lot of pride in its work on the device’s kickstand, which received a small modification that allows it to be adjusted into to different positions.
The new tablet will also get an updated docking station sporting four USB ports (two USB 2.0 ports and one USB 3.0 port) as well as audio in and out ports, an Ethernet port, and a mini Display port.
Microsoft also unveiled the Surface 2 at its Monday event, which is lighter and thinner than ever before.
Yet another hardware upgrade comes in the area of keyboards with the unveiling of the Type Cover 2, which will sell for $119.99, is backlit, draws its power from the tablet and is 1-millimeter thinner than the previous Type Cover. The new, thinner Touch Cover 2, which will sell for $129.99, is also backlit, and will be offered in several colors.
In the past, one of the key differences between the Surface Pro and the iPad touted by Microsoft was the ability to use the tablet as a full-fledged productivity device. Microsoft has now doubled down on this focus on productivity by including the ability to process raw 6K video footage sent directly into the Surface Pro 2.
The price for the Surface Pro 2 is $899.