Microsoft To Unveil New Surface Tablet September 23

In just 14 days, Microsoft MSFT will host an event to unveil the second-generation Surface tablet. The event was confirmed by a Surface-shaped paper invite that's circling the net. While the event's exact location has been blurred by media outlets (likely at Microsoft's request), the date and time -- September 23, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. -- are still visible. Since the event is in New York, one could assume that the timeslot is set for Eastern Daylight Time. Microsoft's event will come 13 days after Apple's AAPL long-awaited press conference on September 10. Apple's invite teaser is not as revealing as Microsoft's; instead of a device-shaped postcard, Apple used a series of brightly-colored spheres across a white background. Those circles are thought to represent the various colors that will accompany the release of the iPhone 5C, Apple's lower-cost smartphone. According to Neowin, the second-generation Surface will include a new cover that features a built-in battery. The attachment is being referred to as a Power Cover and may be backwards compatible with the first-generation Surface Pro. If the report is accurate, it will not work with the first-generation Surface RT. Microsoft is rumored to use Qualcomm QCOM chips to power at least one version of Surface this year, but not at the expense of existing suppliers NVIDIA NVDA and Intel INTC. Rather, Qualcomm is thought to be added to the supplier mix. This unconfirmed addition has bolstered rumors that Microsoft will release multiple tablets this fall, including the so-called Surface Mini. Related: Windows 8.1 "Continues The Vision" For W8, Due October 17 Last year, Microsoft was rumored to be developing a game-dedicated tablet that would be marketed as an Xbox device. It is still possible that Microsoft could build an Xbox tablet. But the company is unlikely to do so while focusing on the global launch of its third-generation game console, Xbox One. Disclosure: At the time of this writing, Louis Bedigian had no position in the equities mentioned in this report. Louis Bedigian is the Senior Tech Analyst and Features Writer of Benzinga. You can reach him at 248-636-1322 or louis(at)benzingapro(dot)com. Follow him @LouisBedigianBZ