Microsoft unveils second-gen Surface Hub 2

A new Surface Hub that can be rotated 90-degrees and attached to up to three other Hubs has been unveiled by Microsoft.

The new Surface Hub 2 will launch in 2019 and comes with a 50.5-inch 4K+ display running a range of Microsoft software, including Windows 10. Unlike the original Surface Hub, which was released in 2015, the new device can be rotated, so users can work on the 50.5-inch 4K+ multi-touch PixelSense Display in either landscape or portrait mode. As the cameras, speakers, and microphones are built into the device, they will pivot, too.

As the preview video shows, other Windows devices will also be able to share content with the display as well as use it to work in collaboration with colleagues. The new device is aimed at teams, the software maker said, but can also be grouped together with other Hubs through a feature called Tiling, which will let people have “face-to-face” meetings from anywhere in the world, Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, wrote in a blog post.

The Surface Hub 2 is built on Windows 10, and the operating system is being optimised for use on the large screen. This will enable several other options such as moving applications across multiple Surface Hub 2 units that are tiled on a wall.

“There is a need for a device built for teams and designed for these new environments. To help people collaborate whether they are in the office, at home, or travelling the world. To move beyond just passing along information, to a world where they are collaborating real-time, in an efficient, and intuitive way," Panos noted.

As the preview video shows, other Windows devices will also be able to share content with the display as well as use it to work in collaboration with colleagues. The new device is aimed at teams, the software maker said, but can also be grouped together with other Hubs through a feature called Tiling, which will let people have “face-to-face” meetings from anywhere in the world, Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, wrote in a blog post.

The Surface Hub 2 is built on Windows 10, and the operating system is being optimized for use on the large screen. This will enable several other options such as moving applications across multiple Surface Hub 2 units that are tiled on a wall.

“There is a need for a device built for teams and designed for these new environments. To help people collaborate whether they are in the office, at home, or traveling the world. To move beyond just passing along information, to a world where they are collaborating real-time, in an efficient, and intuitive way," Panos noted.

Panay also indicated that the tech giant would test the device with some commercial partners before launching it more widely.