The Microsoft Surface Pro 5 was previously expected to launch this October, but the device has not been unveiled yet, and it is now expected to have been pushed back all the way to Spring 2017 so that it can benefit from upcoming hardware and software upgrades.
As noted by Tech Radar, Microsoft has confirmed that the Redstone 2 update for Windows 10 has been delayed to early 2017, and it is possible that the Surface Pro 5 is also being delayed so that it may come with the update right out of the box.
The Redstone update is also stated to come out simultaneously with new hardware, and it won't be limited to just the launch of the Surface Pro 5. The report states that this launch will also include the Surface Book 2 and the highly rumored but not yet confirmed Surface Phone, as well as a possible Surface PC.
However, new software updates are not the only possible reasons for the delay of the Surface Pro 5 as it is also stated that the device may have been stalled in order to receive the Kaby Lake processor from Intel. This new 14nm chip will be more efficient and much faster than current iterations of the Intel i-series of processors.
This new processor will be released in multiple versions throughout the end of this year and in early 2017. It is expected that the Surface Pro 5 will adopt the late 2016 processors to hasten mass production and get the tablet ready for a launch in early 2017.
Both upgrades will ensure that the Surface Pro 5 will be competitive enough to go up against the upcoming update to the iPad Pro line as well as the next line of the Samsung Galaxy tablets.
Microsoft has yet to confirm if the Surface Pro 5 is indeed going to feature either of the two upgrades and if the device is indeed slated for a Spring 2017 release.
