Microsoft Surface laptops, tablets get their End of Service dates

Microsoft has published the End of Service timelines for its entire Surface lineup for the first time ever since it entered the PC, tablet market to counter Apple. The list includes Surface RT and Surface Pro that were launched way back in 2012 and 2013 and have already hit their End of Service date, but the motive behind releasing this list is to give clarity to Surface users who might not be aware of when Microsoft stops giving support to their devices.

The latest Surface Laptop Go is also the part of the list. It was launched on October 13 earlier this year but its End of Service date is October 13, 2024. Some other devices that were launched this year, including the Surface Go 2, Surface Book 3, will also hit the End of Service date in 2024 in the same month as they were launched. Going by the list, most Surface devices have four years before Microsoft stops giving support for these devices.

But a few of these devices have their End of Service set for after five years. For example, the Surface Pro 2 had its End of Service ended in April 2018, which is five years after it was launched. There is a remarkable exception in this list: Surface Pro 3. The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 has seven years of support according to the list. The End of Service for the Surface Pro 3 is November 2021 but it was launched in June 2014.

Device Release Date End of Servicing Date

Surface RT1 October 26, 2012 April 11, 2017

Surface Pro1 February 9, 2013 April 11, 2017

Surface 21 October 22, 2013 April 10, 2018

Surface Pro 21 October 22, 2013 April 10, 2018

Surface Pro 3 June 20, 2014 November 13, 2021

Surface 3 May 5, 2015 November 13, 2021

Surface Book October 26, 2015 November 13, 2021

Surface Pro 4 October 26, 2015 November 13, 2021

Surface Book with Performance Base November 10, 2016 November 13, 2021

Surface Studio (1st gen) December 15, 2016 November 13, 2021

Surface Laptop (1st gen) June 14, 2017 November 13, 2021

Surface Pro (5th gen) June 15, 2017 November 13, 2021

Surface Book 2 November 17, 2017 November 17, 2021

Surface Pro LTE (Model 1807) December 1, 2017 December 1, 2021

Surface Go August 2, 2018 August 2, 2022

Surface Studio 2 October 2, 2018 October 2, 2022

Surface Laptop 2 October 16, 2018 October 16, 2022

Surface Pro 6 October 16, 2018 October 16, 2022

Surface Go with LTE Advanced November 20, 2018 November 20, 2022

Surface Laptop 3 October 22, 2019 October 22, 2023

Surface Pro 7 October 22, 2019 October 22, 2023

Surface Pro X November 5, 2019 November 5, 2023

Surface Go 2 May 6, 2020 May 6, 2024

Surface Book 3 May 26, 2020 May 26, 2024

Surface Pro X SQ2 October 13, 2020 October 13, 2024

Surface Laptop Go October 13, 2020 October 13, 2024

 The End of Service means that Microsoft will stop rolling out any security updates to these devices after the published dates. These devices will, however, receive all software updates during that time. Microsoft might pull an exception in case there is a harmful software impacting devices at large. A lot of devices in this list have already hit their End of Service dates. Microsoft has said it has included those devices because users were demanding it. Microsoft has said the list comes “to help plan and manage hardware and software deployments.”It is crucial for OEMs, especially the ones controlling both hardware and software components, to support devices for a satisfactorily long duration so as to fulfil consumer demands. Microsoft’s list of End of Service dates seems promising for the future of Surface hardware -- something that Android world is still not able to catch up with. Most OEMs in the Android market take a long time rolling out software upgrades while the End of Service for most devices is usually two-three years, which is disappointing. Even Apple supports most of its old phones after four to five years.