Leaks indicate Microsoft Surface Book 2 will sport Kaby Lake microprocessor and deal with unsightly 'hinge gap'

Microsoft's first Surface Book criticised for cheap look and nasty 'hinge gap'

Microsoft is set to launch the Surface Book 2 either by the end of the year or early in 2017 in a refresh that will fix one of the key design flaws in the original Surface Book.

According to leaks, the Microsoft Hardware Division has solved the 'hinge gap' in the flexi-hinge of the original Surface Book when the two-in-one laptop was shut.

The Surface Book launch will come at the same time that Microsoft is planning to release three new Surface all-in-one devices.

That's all according to Windows Central, which has heard that Microsoft is turning its attention to hardware following the recent Windows 10 cut-off and Anniversary Update rollout.

The website's sources claimed that Microsoft will launch a second-generation Surface Book powered by Intel's upcoming Kaby Lake processor, which the chipmaker only started shipping to OEMs last month. However, this probably means we won't see the Surface Book 2 until late 2016 or early 2017.

The report doesn't reveal much else about the Windows laptop, but said that it is likely to have a USB Type-C connection, a new graphics architecture for 3D and 4K graphics and, perhaps more importantly, no unsightly hinge-gap as seen on the original Microsoft Surface Book.

"The space allocated for Microsoft's unique fulcrum hinge bothered some owners on aesthetic grounds. The alleged redesign, I hear, makes the display and keyboard flush when closed similar to a traditional laptop," the report claimed.

Microsoft is also reportedly preparing to launch a trio of Surface AIO devices.

The three devices, which Windows Central claimed are currently in testing, will apparently come in different display sizes and resolutions. These are a 21in Full HD model, alongside 24in and 27in models with 4K resolution screens.

Windows Central's sources don't know much else, adding only that the Surface AIOs will supposedly be, er, "elegant" and "something that you want to be seen in your living room".

Don't go throwing out your telly to make space for the so-called Surface AIO just yet, as the report noted that there is no confirmation that the three devices are planned for retail.

Microsoft has not yet commented on the rumours.