Microsoft at a media event in May 2014 was widely expected to unveil a miniature version of its popular Surface tablet. The slate, rumored to feature an 8-inch display, had supposedly been in development for more than a year but ended up being a no-show. Instead, we got the full-sized Surface Pro 3.
Sources at the time said the Surface Mini was delayed at the very last minute by Microsoft chief Satya Nadella and VP Stephen Elop because they didn't feel it was "different enough" from its competition.
Now more than three years later, photos of the mythological device have leaked onto the Internet.
Windows Central managed to get their mitts on the device. Powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 1GB of RAM and Adreno 330 graphics, the tablet was to feature an 8-inch display with a resolution of 1,440 x 1,080 pixels. It had 32GB of local storage, a microSD card slot for expansion, a headphone jack, a micro USB port for charging and dual-band Wi-Fi.
The Surface Mini was to include a Surface Pen and an integrated case / kickstand. A Type Cover or similar keyboard accessory wasn't in the cards as the device was to be used exclusively with the stylus and touch.
Tablets were still relatively popular in 2014 but as smartphones continued to swell in size and encroach into small tablet territory, many of the miniature devices fell out of favor with the public.