Microsoft is gearing up to make a "major" announcement related to its Surface business on January 30th, as revealed in a LinkedIn post spotted by Windows Central. The software giant will be sharing the news during its AI tour in New York City, sparking excitement among tech enthusiasts and business professionals alike.

The announcement is widely expected to center around the launch of Intel-powered variants of the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 devices, which have been rumored for some time. A prototype of a Surface Laptop 7 with Intel's Lunar Lake chips was spotted on a Chinese second-hand marketplace in October, further fueling speculation about the upcoming release.

It's worth noting that the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, which were launched earlier in 2024, shipped with Intel's Meteor Lake processors. Meanwhile, Microsoft's refreshed Surface Copilot Plus devices featured new designs and Qualcomm chips. The upcoming announcement is likely to focus on the business-oriented Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11, which will be designed to cater to the specific needs of enterprise customers.

The Surface Laptop Studio, which currently features 13th Gen Intel chips, is also due for an upgrade. However, given its more consumer-focused nature, it's unlikely to be part of this particular announcement. Additionally, there have been rumors of an 11-inch Surface Go/Surface Laptop Go hybrid device powered by a Snapdragon X Plus processor, but this is also unlikely to be targeted at businesses.

Microsoft's decision to make a significant announcement during its AI tour suggests that the company is positioning its Surface devices as key players in the business technology landscape. As the tech giant continues to expand its presence in the AI space, it's likely that the upcoming Surface devices will be designed to integrate seamlessly with Microsoft's AI capabilities.

Stay tuned for more information on Microsoft's "major" Surface announcement, as we'll be following the AI tour live on January 30th. With the tech world eagerly anticipating the release of these new devices, one thing is certain – Microsoft is poised to make a significant impact on the business technology landscape.