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Will your Surface Pro power cable be recalled?

Microsoft is planning to recall many of its Surface Pro power cables, due to overheating concerns. 

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Mark Lennihan/AP/File
In this May 20, 2014 file photo, Panos Panay, Microsoft's vice president for surface computing, introduces the Surface Pro 3 tablet device at a media preview in New York. Microsoft is to recall several surface pro power cables in 2016.

Microsoft will recall older Surface Pro tablet computer power cables after some customers complained of overheating.

The tech giant will issue a voluntary recall on all Surface Pro power cables sold before July 15, 2015. The recall will be announced early Friday by Microsoft and owners will be given a new cord free of charge, according to Channelnomics Europe, which first reported the story. 

The recall will affect all Surface Pro power cable models sold before the July date, including those for Surface Pro, Surface Pro 2, and Surface Pro 3.  Surface Pro 4 power cables are not affected by the recall.

A Microsoft spokesperson issued a statement to Channelnomics Europe:

As a result of damage caused by AC power cords being wound too tightly, twisted or pinched over an extended period of time, a very small proportion of Surface Pro customers have reported issues with their AC power cord. We will be releasing details of how customers can obtain a free replacement cable shortly.

It is currently unknown how many power cords will be replaced. Market analyst group Canalys noted in a February 2015 analysis of the fourth quarter of 2014, Microsoft tablets hit “just over 2 million shipments.” Microsoft Surface broke the $1 billion revenue mark in January 2015. Hundreds of thousands of power cords could need replacement.

Until the recall and instructions are announced early Friday, Surface Pro owners with possibly affected power cords should restrain from damaging the cord. Microsoft told Channelnomics overheating of the power cord could result if the cords are “sharply or repeatedly bent… [or] tightly wrapped.”

The first Microsoft Surface Pro was released in February of 2013, with the second and third iterations reaching the marketplace in October of 2013 and June of 2014, respectively.

The Microsoft Surface was designed to be a hybrid tablet, capable of replacing a traditional computer, with the ability to run multiple apps and functioning off the full Windows operating system. The hybrid tablet experienced a slow start, but gained traction with the release of Surface Pro 3 in 2014.

With Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3, Microsoft tablet revenue experienced a 117 percent increase over the 2015 fiscal year and broke $1 billion in revenue in the second quarter.

However, reports for the first quarter of the 2016 fiscal year show slowing Surface sales and falling revenue for Microsoft as a whole. Surface revenue fell to $672 million, according to The Verge.

It is unknown how the recall will affect future Surface sales.

Attempts to contact Microsoft by press time were unsuccessful.

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