Reports are emerging about a release date for the upcoming device out of Microsoft's stable, the Surface Mini, as rumor has it that the gadget will be released sometime in the middle of 2015.

The first rumored release date of the Surface Mini was by the end of December 2014, but that did not pan out. There are speculations that Microsoft planned to launch a follow up for Surface Pro and Surface Mini at the same time in December, but was called off at the last minute.

There is no official news as to why the release was delayed, but speculations rose that Microsoft may want to concentrate on selling their Surface Pro device. Another probable reason speculated is that the gadget may not be as good as Microsoft has planned.

Not long ago, Microsoft issued a statement that they would not be launching a new device. "Current year cost of revenue included Surface inventory adjustments resulting from our transition to newer generation devices and a decision to not ship a new form factor," the company said in a statement.

However, rumors about the release of Surface Mini were fueled by the high sales of Surface Pro. In 2013, Microsoft earned a total of $400 million for Surface Pro 3. In 2014, the device earned more than $908 million.

For Microsoft Surface Mini's specifications, the tablet will reportedly have an 8-inch or 10.1-inch display. Rumors surfaced that the small gadget will be the first device to run Microsoft's latest Windows 10 OS.

The keyboard accessories will reportedly be a useful feature, as all Surface tablets have a focus on productivity. The Surface Mini may obtain a free OneDrive cloud storage and a free copy of Office & Home 2013 just like the previous Microsoft Surfaces.

Although the rumors are rampant, Microsoft has not stated a formal announcement regarding the Surface Mini's release date. According to tech experts, one of the challenges the new gadget may face is the tough competition with the affordable Windows Notebook, which only costs $179.

On a side note, Surface Pro 2 is currently priced at $299 and Surface Pro 3 is sold for $799 on the Microsoft Store.