All eyes might have been on Apple today San Francisco, but Microsoft is having a party of its own. The company yesterday sent out invitations to an event later this month where it plans to announce the next generation of Surface.

Though it hasn't yet been a year since the original Surface, Microsoft is preparing to announce the new Surface and Surface Pro on September 23. With Windows 8.1 due in October and the current generation of Surface Pro on permanent discount, the invitations are no surprise to anyone. While full specs are not yet known, the Surface is rumored to pack Intel's Haswell (Core i5), Windows 8.1, 8 GB of RAM, and an improved kickstand. The company is also expected to announce a brand new 'Power Cover' that will include both a keyboard and an external battery.

Interestingly, Microsoft is said to be ditching the 'RT' branding for the budget Surface. Instead, the version running Windows RT will simply be called "Surface 2." Windows RT hasn't exactly taken off the way Microsoft had hoped. While the company isn't quite ready to give up on the ARM-powered version of Windows 8, the decision to drop the 'RT' from the name is pretty telling.

No word on pricing just yet, but we'll keep you posted!

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