Microsoft is reportedly planning to release a line of cheaper Surface tablets that will allow it to compete more effectively with the Apple iPads.
The company's smaller, lower-cost Surface tablets could arrive as soon as the end of 2018, said Bloomberg Fiance, citing the people familiar with the matter.
With 10-inch screens, the devices would be more diminutive than the 12-inch Surface Pro, as well as being 20 percent lighter. Microsoft is rumored to have softened the appearance of the tablets, rounding off the corners to make them more like the iPad, rather than leaving them square, as with the current Surface line. The devices will also reportedly feature USB-C ports and be priced at around $400.
The smaller Surface tablets could help Microsoft to compete better with the iPads unveiled by Apple at its education event in Chicago in March.
Microsoft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.