For a moment in time, it seemed like such a sure thing: following the first two generations of full-sized Surface tablets, this past spring it finally looked like Microsoft was going to introduce a more compact Surface Mini. In the days leading up to the company’s May event, the Mini was the clear favorite for the new hardware likely to be featured, but at the last minute focus shifted to what we ultimately saw announced, the Surface Pro 3. In the weeks that followed we’ve been picking up bits and pieces of the Mini’s story, like the multiple mentions of the device in the Pro 3′s manual, and recent rumors have suggested that a launch is still in the cards. Today Microsoft releases its latest earnings report, and within we finally see it address the Surface Mini launch that never was.
In discussing its revenue from hardware sales, Microsoft notes that its “current year cost of revenue included Surface inventory adjustments resulting from our transition to newer generation devices and a decision to not ship a new form factor.” That “new form factor” is almost certainly the Surface Mini.
Where does that leave the Mini? Last we heard a summer release could still be happening, and today’s disclosure may only serve to drive investor interest in seeing this project finally realized.
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