Earlier this year, October was viewed as a potentially big month for Microsoft, one that could even feature the debuts of both the Surface Book 2 and the Surface Pro 5.

Well, October is now here, and what was once viewed as a potentially eventful month for the Redmond-based company now looks like it will come and go without much fanfare, mainly because those aforementioned devices likely aren't making their debuts this month.

While it appears that there's still more than enough time remaining in the month for Microsoft to launch the new tablet if they really wanted to, it would be quite the surprising development to say the least.

Recent history also seems to suggest that the time to hype up an October 2016 launch for the Surface Pro 5 may have already passed.

As iDigitalTimes pointed out, in the lead-up to the Surface Pro 4's October 2015 debut, Microsoft already began teasing the new device as early as September.

Microsoft has offered nothing in the way of Surface Pro 5 teasers this year, and unless the company intends to pack tons of marketing into a couple of weeks, it appears that this month, and even the rest of 2016, will go by without the new tablet making its long-awaited debut.

So, if 2016 is not the time for the new tablet to make its first appearance, then when can people expect it to finally show up?

The good news on that front is that even if the rumored tablet misses out on this year altogether, it may not take long before people start hearing about it in 2017.

According to a recent report from ZD Net, the new tablet may be officially launched in the spring together with the Surface Book 2.

A potential spring launch for the tablet could mean that teasers may start coming out very early in 2017, and people may want to keep an eye out for those.

More details about Microsoft's Surface Pro 5 should be made available in the near future.