A new patent suggests that Microsoft could be planning some revolutionary changes for the Surface Pro 8, with a new Type Cover that could come with a built-in solar panel.

As Windows Latest points out, the patent was filed in back in 2018 and has just been made public, which suggests Microsoft has been potentially thinking about – and working on – this tech for some time, and it could make its way into a future Surface Pro device, such as the inevitable Surface Pro 8.The patent, named “Mobile device cover with integrated solar panel”, shows a device that looks a lot like the Surface Pro tablet, with a ‘solar cover’ that acts like a stand, with an integrated keyboard, much like the Surface Pro’s existing Type Cover.