Tech giant Microsoft (MSFT) recently unveiled a set of new laptops and tablets built around the Surface for Business lineup, and other models will be coming out throughout the summer. The new tablets and laptops caught plenty of attention, and investors seemed reasonably pleased with how it all worked out. Microsoft shares gained fractionally in Wednesday afternoon’s trading.
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The first models in the new lineup feature Intel (INTC) chips, reports note, though future models geared more toward the commercial market will boast Snapdragon X2 variants. Those models are expected to come out throughout the summer. Right now, there are four models: the Surface Pro 13-inch, and the Surface Laptop 13-inch, 13.8-inch, and 15-inch. These are some fairly high-end pieces, with price tags reportedly starting at $2,000 for the flagship models. The lowest-cost model laptop, the Surface Laptop 13-inch, goes for $1,499.
One of the biggest new features in the Surface Laptop lineup is a hardware privacy screen filter, which can be used to block outside viewers’ access to seeing just what is on your screen from certain angles. Haptic signals features are also included, which offer “subtle feedback” when interacting with certain parts of the display.
“Huge Industry Changes”
The Xbox operation, meanwhile, looks for huge changes to come over the next few years. In fact, current ID @ Xbox indie program director, Guy Richards, noted that “…there’s going to be more change happening in the next couple of years than the 25 years that got us here.”
Richards is all but certainly right. One of those changes is the upcoming Steam Machine from Valve, which is getting closer to a release date that no one outside Valve yet knows. Reports suggest that the Steam Client Beta contains several references to the Steam Machine, which suggests that Valve is gearing up to actually launch the thing by setting up the necessary infrastructure to support it.
Is Microsoft a Buy, Hold or Sell?
Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Strong Buy consensus rating on MSFT stock based on 33 Buys and two Holds assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. After an 7.77% loss in its share price over the past year, the average MSFT price target of $559.98 per share implies 33.54% upside potential.
