The coronavirus outbreak has forced the global economy to come to a near-standstill in a matter of weeks.
Only a fraction of the normal level of activity is currently taking place, with the majority focusing on ensuring people across the world are able to access the essentials during this time of crisis.
However, some companies are still releasing new products. Although Microsoft has been very proactive in its response to COVID-19, that doesn’t seem to have stopped it from launching a new laptop, if the latest leaks are to be believed.
According to tech blogger Dan S. Charlton, a number of Surface products were briefly listed on the websites of a some European retailers, before promptly being taken down.
These include ‘Surface Project T’, which ranges from €1617 and €2616, and ‘Surface Project U’ costing between €2234 and €3441. Considering the pricing of recent Surface hardware, it can be assumed that these are the 13.5in and 15in Surface Book 3 devices.
While its release has likely been in the pipeline for a number of months, I don’t feel it makes sense for Microsoft to launch its hero product in the middle of a pandemic.
There has been a huge spike in demand for laptops with many forced to work from home, but this has been overwhelmingly at the lower end of the market.
Many of the options in our best budget laptop chart have seen stocks running low, as they offer everything most people are looking for at a price they can afford. The bells and whistles of a high-end laptop can be alluring under normal circumstances, but it just doesn’t make sense to release one at a time when so many households are vulnerable financially.
What’s more, the reputation of Microsoft as an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) will hinge on the success of its Surface line. With so many credible alternatives running the company’s Windows 10 software, consumers will quickly look elsewhere if it doesn’t match what they’re looking for.
An addition to the budget Surface Go line seems to make much more sense at the the moment, and there are rumours the Surface Go 2 could also land this Spring.
If working from home primarily involves word processing, checking email and surfing the web, it’s a no-brainer which device you should go for.
Author: Anyron Copeman, Senior Staff Writer
As the resident expert on Windows, Senior Staff Writer Anyron’s main focus is PCs and laptops. Much of the rest of his time is split between smartphones, tablets and audio, with a particular focus on Android devices.