You’ve heard the rumors: Microsoft axed the launch of a small “Surface Mini” Windows tablet just before the Pro 3 hit stores. Hints of the canceled launch showed up in news articles, Microsoft earnings reports and even the Surface Pro 3’s user manual, but now we finally have confirmation that the tablet actually exists — and it was pretty much ready to ship alongside the Surface Pro 3. So ready that, for a time, Surface VP Panos Panay used one on a daily basis.

“It was like a Moleskine,” the Microsoft executive told WIRED recently. “It was awesome.” Panay described waking up in the dead of night to jot down notes and write [...]

t’s hard to visualize how big an 18.4-inch tablet is without reference. Nevertheless, if you want to see Samsung’s upcoming enormous device called the Galaxy View up close, check out the images above, courtesy of evleaks. The South Korean manufacturer first gave us a glimpse of the tablet back in September, clearly showing its Microsoft Surface-esque kickstand. More recently, early listings on third-party sellers spotted by several websites revealed that the 32GB version will cost you ¢2,280 ($600). Those listings have since been removed, but according GSM Arena, it’s powered by an Exynos 7580 SoC, has a fullHD resolution display, 32GB of storage, 2GB of RAM and a [...]

This article originally appeared on Fast Company and is reprinted with permission.

By Jared Newman

When Apple launched the iPad in 2010, the biggest question was whether it could carve out a space between smartphones and laptops.

For a while, the answer was yes, as the iPad became Apple’s fastest-growing product. But since then, smartphones have become larger and more powerful, while laptops have become thinner, lighter, and more battery-efficient. iPad sales have felt the squeeze, declining for two straight years even as Apple’s iPhone and Mac sales flourish.

Rather than give up, Apple is sharpening its focus with the iPad Pro, which is larger [...]