Microsoft is announcing something big in New York.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017, Microsoft is holding an education-focused conference in the US city of New York (#MicrosoftEDU). The event could see the firm reveal new hardware and software solutions aimed specifically at students.
In terms of hardware, the tech world is still waiting for Microsoft to present its new generation tablet, the Surface Pro 5. The Redmond-based firm could use its education-themed event to do that -- so long as the device has something specific to offer students. In any case, rumors are heating up on specialist websites, suggesting that the tablet could feature the latest-generation Intel processors (Kaby Lake), boosting performance and battery life. However, Microsoft is unlikely to unveil the eagerly awaited new range of Surface Phone smartphones or a Surface Book 2 PC at the May 2 event.
Above all, Microsoft could present a Surface 4 -- a low-cost device tailored to users on tight budgets. This new tablet could also be the first device to run Windows 10 Cloud, a pared-down and partially cloud-based version of Microsoft's famous operating system. The concept is similar to Chrome OS, used in Google's low-cost Chromebook PCs popular with students.
The Cloud OS aims to provide a lightweight operating system for the least powerful computers on the market. As the name suggests, the system is focused on cloud computing, which is useful for PCs that don't have much storage space. Users can, for example, use Microsoft programs already available in the cloud, such as MS Office, rather than installing them directly on their computer.
Microsoft has more than the May 2 event in store this spring, as the Microsoft Build developers' conference opens a few days later, running May 10 to 12 in Seattle.
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