Microsoft is set to unveil the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 on September 23rd

Tonight might be Apple's big night, but it looks like Microsoft is getting ready to host a tech-related party of its own.

That's because The Big M is set to unveil a new generation of Surface tablets. I'll let you calm down before I continue.

Press invitations from Microsoft have been going out beckoning the great and the good to a special show on September 23rd in New York City. And a series of leaks suggest that two new Surface models will be revealed to the, ahem, clamouring public.

According to speculation, Microsoft's two new slate devices will be called the Surface 2 and the Surface Pro 2. The Surface 2 will run everyone's favourite operating system Windows RT 8.1, while the Surface Pro 2 will be a full-fledged Windows 8 machine.

The Surface 2 will apparently sport an Nvidia Tegra 4 processor and a full 1080p HD display. And its battery should last for about eight hours.

Its bigger sister will have a new Intel Haswell chip under its hood and 8GB of RAM nestling in its shiny metal casing. Expect it to have a similar display to its new sibling. Oh, and similar battery life.

A rumoured two-stage kickstand represents the biggest design change on these new Surface models. Well, let's be honest: the kickstand was the main problem with the first generation of Surface tablets.

Of course, these are all rumours at the moment, but we'll keep you posted when Microsoft's big event kicks off and Steve Ballmer shows his tablet hand.