Microsoft revealed its plans to implement new hardware changes to its Surface Hub 2 product. The software company first unveiled its 50-inch display and promised to release it in 2019.
Microsoft announced that the hardware release will be in Q2 of 2019, while many of the powerful new software features will require a hardware and software update set to launch in 2020.
Surface Hub 2S
The software giant Surface Hub 2S product design incorporates removable processor cartridges. It is expected to be launched next year. Users will be able to purchase an upgrade cartridge to the Surface Hub 2X in 2020.
The cartridges slot into the back of the Surface Hub 2 hardware and can be upgraded or serviced. Microsoft’s hardware upgrades sound similar to Samsung’s previous efforts with smart TVs that you could upgrade each year with an “evolution kit” that updated the processor.
Microsoft’s upgraded hardware will include a software update to enable new features like tile, rotate, and multi user login. Microsoft has been working on a special version of Windows 10 for the Surface Hub 2, but the Surface Hub 2S will ship with the original Surface Hub software instead. The Surface Hub 2X in 2020 will include this new software, and be powered by Microsoft’s Office 365 service.
Expectations & Delivery
It appears that Microsoft has separated its Surface Hub 2 into two different versions for businesses to allow them to pick and choose. Many businesses aren’t ready to make the move to a fully cloud-powered Surface Hub and services like Office 365. The Surface Hub 2S is aimed at those who still have on premises servers for Exchange and other Microsoft services: when they’re ready, they can upgrade to the Surface Hub 2X.
Still, the Surface Hub 2S will ship with the same impressive hardware we saw earlier this year, but without some of the features and slick software support. Businesses waiting for that new software will now need to wait a little longer into 2020. The hardware with 4K cameras and an edge-to-edge display will be the same in both the Surface Hub 2S and Surface Hub 2X.
