Microsoft Corp. reportedly plans to bolster its Surface device family with a new line of low-cost tablets in a bid to challenge the market dominance of Apple Inc.’s iPad.

The models are set to become available as soon as the second half of the year for around $400, Bloomberg reported today. That’s compared with the $799 starting price of Microsoft’s flagship Surface Pro tablet. On top of being more affordable, the publication’s sources said the new devices will also significantly differ in design.

The tablets are reportedly 20 percent lighter than the Surface Pro and swap the unit’s 12-inch screen for a smaller 10-inch unit. The display is framed by a bezel with rounded corners, supposedly not unlike those of the iPad, in what marks a big departure from the rectangular design of Microsoft’s flagship tablet. Rounding out the package is a USB-C port and support for LTE connectivity.

Bloomberg’s sources didn’t share specifications such as how much processing power the new tablets will pack. But the compact design and modest price tag indicate that the line is designed for less demanding applications than the Surface Pro, which is favored by enterprise users. This is further supported by the fact that the upcoming models’ battery life will reportedly be about four hours shorter than their pricier counterpart.

The devices should create additional competition for Apple Inc.’s base iPad editions, which start at $329. The new models represent the latest of several attempts by Microsoft to bring a more affordable tablet to market. Its efforts in this area trace back all the way to the original Surface, the Surface RT, which launched in 2012 with a starting price of $499.

The most likely target market is teachers and students. “If the rumor is true that this is low cost, then I believe the company is targeting the education market,” said Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy.

The report follows Microsoft’s announcement Tuesday of a much larger Surface Model, the Hub 2, which will have a 50.5-inch screen when it starts selling in 2019, for a so-far undetermined price. It’s designed for teams and can be used together in up to four hubs to create a large wall panel.

Now that the Surface series is a much more well-established brand, the company should be in a better position to take on Apple. The iPhone maker generated more than four times as much revenue from tablets in the past four quarters as Microsoft’s Surface business, reaffirming its status as the market leader.

Image: Microsoft