Having realized that tablets cannot completely replace notebooks, Redmond has unveiled a premiere in its hardware portfolio, and a new addition to its Surface line, in the form of a 13.5-inch laptop called Surface Book.
Microsoft has had its eggs in more than one basket, and even though neither keyboards, nor devices with a display are new to the tech titan, this is the first time the company announces a laptop. If anything, I really wish Microsoft would have chosen another, more original name for it. While the Surface denomination could make people think of no other company, the ‘Book’ part could bring Apple’s MacBook line to mind.
The first laptop ever built by Microsoft has a very industrial look to it, mainly due to the machined magnesium body and the unique hinges, which can only mean that whoever designed it did a very good job. The fact that Surface is still part of its name hints at the ability to fully remove the display and use it as a tablet. Then what is that differentiates this product from a Surface tablet with a keyboard attached to it? First of all, it’s the size of the display. Secondly, Microsoft targets people wanting “the perfect typing experience,” something that can’t really be achieved with a tablet’s attachable keyboard.
One of the main highlights of the Surface Book is definitely the 13.5″ display. If it were to only take the pixel density of 267ppi into account, people would probably say that it’s not a match for Apple’s Retina displays. However, Surface Book’s display is optically bonded to the glass, which should play a great role in how it looks.
Surface Book’s hinge, which is called a “dynamic fulcrum” by Microsoft, elevates the display at an angle when the screen is against the back of the keyboard. To fully detach the display from the keyboard, users need to press a button on the side.
Hardware wise, Surface Book is great, but definitely not mind-blowing, as it packs Intel Core i5 or i7 Skylake CPUs, an Nvidia GeForce GPU (the precise model hasn’t been disclosed, yet), two USB 3.0 ports and an SD card slot. I definitely would have expected Microsoft to equip its first laptop with USB 3.1 Type-C ports, but for some reason they figured it won’t be necessary, yet.
It may be because of the energy efficient CPUs that power the Surface Book, as the battery is said to last up to 12 hours, which is more than a work day, in most parts of the world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=26&v=XVfOe5mFbAE
Microsoft will start taking pre-orders for the Surface Book tomorrow, and the laptop is expected to go on sale on October 26th. Depending on the hardware configuration, people will have to spend at least $1,499 for one. Business users won’t even blink an eye, but students and gamers probably have better options.
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Source and Image Credit: The Verge
