Microsoft champions latest Surface Pro laptop

Microsoft Corp is betting that China will lead the way for its hardware sales revival with the tech giant launching the latest Surface Pro - the lightweight laptop that also works as a tablet - among other product lineups in the country that has experienced the category's fastest growth internationally in recent years.

From updated tablet-laptop hybrids to its latest games console, the US group hosted its first-ever global product launch fair on Tuesday in Shanghai, underscoring China's huge market potential to drive much bigger sales numbers, according to Panos Panay, corporate vice-president for Surface at Microsoft.

"China is our fastest-growing market. That's why we decided to share the new Surface Pro with the whole world from Shanghai," Panay told a packed audience near the Bund, an iconic waterfront area in central Shanghai.