Microsoft will resuscitate its Surface tablet with a new model powered by Windows 8.1, ditching the flop that was Windows RT for a lower-priced device, according to an online report.

But the company would be better served by sticking with its Surface Pro line, some analysts said.

“A new Surface seems to be consistent with their Windows 10 story, that the OS will exist on all platforms,” said Ezra Gottheil of Technology Business Research. “But that still leaves the question, ‘Do they really need one of these?’ I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Gottheil was referring to a Wednesday report by WinBeta.com that Microsoft intends to launch a replacement for the discontinued Surface 2 tablet, a 2013 device powered by an ARM-architecture processor that ran Windows RT, a spinoff from Windows 8 that never gained traction.

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