While it has just been months since Microsoft launched its new professional-level hybrid tablet, the Surface Pro 4, fans of the device are already asking when the tech manufacturer will follow it up with a new iteration . Speculations about the much-awaited and already-anticipated Surface Pro 5 have already floated online.
The latest rumors suggest that the Redmond-based tech giant is thinking of an improved pen for its new Surface Pro hybrid.
According to Patently Mobile, Microsoft applied for a patent for a rechargeable Surface Pen and dock, which the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently published to the public. In the notes accompanying the patent application, Microsoft reportedly stated that the new Pen will work as "active functionality that is powered by a rechargeable battery."
"A charging circuit within the stylus may provide charging current for recharging the battery via one or more terminals configured to contact charging contacts of an associated stylus charger," it said.
The Pen for the current-gen Surface Pro 4 is also battery-operated. However, it is powered by either a triple-A or button-cell battery. In changing the new Surface Pro's stylus into a rechargeable one, Microsoft hopes to include a charger set-up similar to how a dock works for a device.
The notes added, "As a stylus may be easily misplaced due to the typical size and shape of the stylus (e.g., a thin, rod-like shape with at least one tapered end), the stylus charger may take the form of a dock that holds the stylus in a particular location during charging and/or while the stylus is not being used."
Meanwhile, according to Phone Arena, this new design by Microsoft, should it be included in the new Surface Pro 5, is the tech manufacturer's answer to some fans clamoring for the stylus to be inserted inside the tablet itself. The industry follower said that Microsoft had already stated that having the stylus inside the tablet is not doable since the Pen is thicker than the Surface Pro.
