Following the recent market rumor that Microsoft has placed a large order for Samsung Electronics' 256GB solid state drive (SSD) to be used for its new Surface tablet, the related upstream supply chain reportedly has recently been notified to start mass shipments of components in September with the tablet estimated to become available in the market in October, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.
The new Surface tablet will feature the same ultra-thin form factor, bezel size and large-size display as the predecessor model and will come with Intel's new Skylake processor and Windows 10.
The sources noted that Microsoft's Surface Pro shipments were 200,000-250,000 units per month in the first quarter and after releasing the Surface 3 at the end of the first quarter, the software giant's monthly tablet shipment volume rose to above 300,000 units. With the new Surface, the sources expect Microsoft's monthly tablet shipments to have a chance to reach 500,000-600,000 units.
Although demand for tablets from the consumer market is gradually weakening, 2-in-1 devices still has potential in the enterprise market and therefore, Microsoft has been aggressively developing new Surface tablets, looking to create business opportunities.
The Surface tablets are all manufactured by Pegatron Technology, while the camera module is supplied by Largan Precision and Newmax. The tablet's magnesium-aluminum alloy unibody chassis is provided by Ju Teng International; cooling modules are supplied by Taisol Electronics and Chaun-Choung Technology (CCI). Other chip suppliers include ITE Tech, Realtek and Winbond, the sources detailed.
Article translated by Joseph Tsai
