On the 26th of October, Microsoft Inc. held an event to showcase some new Surface products, and give an idea to developers of where the Surface brand is headed. We would have noted in previous years, Surface products to be portable mini-powerhouses, which can be used for serious productivity actions on the go. This year in stark contrast, the devices announced are not that portable, but have increased their power when it comes to hardware capabilities, and battery life. Today we shall take a look at their main products announced- the Surface Studio and the new Surface Book.
The new iMac (sorry the Surface Studio)
It was bound to happen, Microsoft introduced us to a new AIO (All in One) pc to compete with the iMac, and from all indications so far, it blows the iMac straight out of the water. This device packs a screen with 4,500x 3,000 pixels, and yes for the pixel junkies among us that is more than your typical 4k panel. For most of us anything 4k and higher is a waste of time, however for those who are into video editing, editing 4k video would make a lot of since on a device like this. The system display itself is just 12.5 mm thick, with the ability to be manually adjusted to lie nearly flat- this should aid in the use of drawing and doing intricate designs with a pen. To add the cheery on top, the also announced a new hardware peripheral with the Studio called “Surface Dial”. Basically it’s a round flat mouse-like device that can be used as a forward-and-back tool in drawing. Applying filters, changing colours and etc. can be also used with the gadget.
Specs & Price
The lower end Surface Studio comes with
- Core i5 Processor
- Nvidia GTX 965m
- 8 GBS of RAM
- 1TB hard drive
The system itself comes with integrated 2.1 speakers (ew), front-facing 5MP camera, 802.11ac WiFi, Bluetooth, an SD card reader, 4x USB 3.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, and a mini-Display Port connector. Base price starts at $3000 dollars…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzMLA8YIgG0
Surface Book
There is not much to say about the new Surface Book; it is said to have twice the graphics of its predecessor, 30% more battery life and houses the not so new Intel Skylake chip. Other than that, its general specs are similar to last year’s, just with more power and battery. The design for the most part stayed relatively the same in this upgrade. Microsoft is promising up to 16 hours of battery life with this model, I am willing to bet it has the ability to reach that, after seeing this added a second cooling fan to the device. The lower the temperature the batter the battery life basically. It does weigh 3.34 lbs, and does not have the smoothest design in the world, but it is made for serious work, and Microsoft is hoping buyers utilize all the power the Book has to offer.
Specs & Price
The base spec comes with:
- Intel Core i7 Processor
- 8 GB of RAM (higher spec has a 16 GB option)
- Unnamed Nvidia graphics chip
- 256 GB SSD
For connections it has 2x USB 3.0 ports, a full sized sd card reader, mini Display Port and headphone jack.
Base price starts at $2,399.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1OsmndtIrY
So what do you think of Microsoft offering this year, I personally think these announcements were received quite well. The price tags are quite high, but atleast you get a sense of what you are actually paying for, sheer power and design. Let us know your thoughts down below, and keep locked to this space for more news.
