It’s been two months since Microsoft released the second generation of its Surface Book laptop-tablet hybrid, and now it is expanding availability of the devices to much of Europe and Asia and other nations around the world.
Microsoft promised double the power and speed of Apple’s latest Macbook Pro in the Surface Book 2, and the second generation includes a new 15-inch model. The 13.5-inch model starts at $1,499, and the most expensive version of the 15-inch device goes for $3,299.
Beginning next month and continuing through April, Microsoft will roll out both models in Bahrain, China, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Korea, Kuwait, Malaysia, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand and the United Arab Emirates. The bigger, 15-inch model can be pre-ordered in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, all markets where the 13-inch version is already available.
Surface 2 represents a key release for the company’s hardware division. It has been two years since Microsoft released the original Surface Book. The long gap between Surface Pro and Surface Book releases has contributed to a decline in the company’s Surface revenue this year.
Microsoft is starting to speed up its device production, while working with partners on other hardware projects. It started with the line of Surface tablets and eventually expanded into the Surface Book. In 2016 Microsoft introduced its high-end Surface Studio desktop computer. It followed that up with the release of the Surface Laptop last summer.
