Microsoft’s next Surface may be an all-in-one PC

Microsoft already offers a nice variety of 2-in-1 Surface devices, but its next hardware product could push the company into new territory. A fresh report claims the firm is cooking up an all-in-one PC to compete with Apple’s iMac series along with other OEMs like Lenovo, HP and Dell.

DigiTimes claims that the all-in-one Surface could launch as soon as this summer, citing the usual industry sources. We’re still pretty light on details, but the prospect of a Microsoft-designed desktop computer is exciting. If the company can bring the same attention to detail and innovative design we’ve seen in products like the Surface Book and Surface Pro series, this new product should be pretty amazing.

The same report also claims that Microsoft’s rumored Surface Book 2 won’t arrive until the first half of 2017. The company is apparently still waiting for Intel’s upcoming Kaby Lake processor. It’s unclear if the same will go for the upcoming Surface Pro 5, which is expected to pack to the same chip.

Microsoft’s alleged decision to wade into the desktop PC market seems a bit odd considering that the product category is currently in decline. DigiTimes notes that shipments are expected to drop to 12.6 million this year (down from 14 million in 2015). We’re still waiting for the company’s rumored Surface Phone, but in the meantime we’re curious to see what an all-in-one Surface might have to offer.