Microsoft's Panay confirms that the Surface Mini was real and did exist
You might recall that last year, Microsoft reportedly decided at the last minute not to introduce a tablet called the Surface Mini. Originally rumored to be joining Microsoft's lineup as far back as September 2013, speculation that such a device was coming persisted until just before the Surface Mini was expected to be unveiled on May 20th, 2014.
Subsequent reports out of Redmond said that the product was nixed because there was nothing that would differentiate the slate from similar devices made by the competition. Also, both Satya Nadella, and Stephen Elop both decided that Microsoft would not make any money from selling the product. A month later, references to the device were found in the Surface Pro 3 User Guide, which among other things, discussed pairing the digital pen to the Surface Mini.
Panay's interview confirms that the Surface Mini was a real product and was apparently ready to ship. Will you ever be able to buy a Surface Mini? Despite rumors of a second chance for the product, there was nothing said by Panay that would point to that happening, at least not right now.
source: WIRED via Engadget
Further confirmation that the Surface Mini was real and was produced, comes from Surface VP Panos Panay. The executive told WIRED that before the Surface Mini was axed, he used the tablet every day. Calling it "awesome," he even adds that it was the tablet he was using when he came to the conclusion that the Surface Book had to be more than just a laptop. The Surface Book, unveiled earlier this month, converts from a laptop to a stand-alone slate.
source: WIRED via Engadget
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