Living in the Now (Premium)

Too much of the media and fan attention for last week’s Microsoft hardware event is focused on the future. What Microsoft did for us today is far more important.

Which is this: It has now upgraded its entire product portfolio to support USB-C.

Yes, I’ve been harping on Thunderbolt 3 for three years. And yes, I still feel that Microsoft has ceded some of its leadership and authority by not embracing the same standard that the rest of the premium PC market embraced long ago.

But there are different ways to lead and different kinds of authority. And as the maker of the software platforms on which its PCs and other devices run—and remember, there are multiple platforms, including Windows 10, Surface Hub OS (soon, in multiple versions), and now Windows 10X—Microsoft is in a unique position in this market. And what it is trying to accomplish—combining hardware, software, and services so pervasively—while common in mobile is still relatively new in the PC market.

I already wrote about why I think that Microsoft’s moves beneath the surface, if you will—sorry, Brad—are so important, both today and going forward. And I and others have commented on the quality of last week’s presentation, which lagged in part because Panos Panay seemed out of sorts if not literally sick. But let’s not lose sight of the actual products that Microsoft announced. And of how these new releases neatly fill out of the Surface family of products, which has something for just about everybody.

The biggest problem in the lineup, of course, is the underwhelming entry-level offering, Surface Go. I was really hoping to see Microsoft fix at least some of this tiny PC’s problems, but perhaps it’s just too early, given its mid-2018 release date. But the Surface Go is a complete strikeout today. Its Pentium Gold processor and eMMC storage on most configurations deliver terrible performance, the battery life is laughable, and the tiny keyboard and screen make it impossible for most to use as a real PC.

Many expected or even hoped that Microsoft would move Surface Go 2 to the ARM platform. But as the Surface Pro X demonstrates, to get acceptable performance on that platform, you need a new and high-end chipset, and those products are expensive. It is therefore much more likely that the next Go will be based on M- or Y-series Core processors instead. Either would be a big upgrade over the current Pentium Gold processor. (Plus, adding incompatibilities to the already compromised Go would be a huge mistake.)

What the Surface Go does have going for it is the tablet 2-in-1 form factor that was first used by the original Surface Pro and then really popularized with the 3:2 Surface Pro 3. So it feels strange to point out that the Surface Pro 7 was the only real disappointment in the new product announcements last week. And it’s a minor disappointment, to be sure: Surface Pro is the workhorse in the Surface lineup and the most beloved, and most used, form factor that Microsoft makes. (According to the latest data, all Surface Pro models combined account for fully two-thirds of all Surface PCs in use. Add in the other tablet 2-in-1s and it’s over 86 percent.)

What we’re getting for late 2019 is the same form factor, again; Microsoft has essentially reused the Surface Pro 3 design with minor tweaks for five generations of Surface Pro now. And what looked thin and sleek back in mid-2014, when Surface Pro 3 first appeared, now just looks dated with its huge bezels and comparatively small screen.

The future of this platform can be seen in the Surface Pro X, which fits a 13-inch display with much smaller bezels into the same basic 12-inch form factor. But Surface Pro X is also much thinner and lighter than Surface Pro 7. And that’s exactly what Surface Pro 8 customers will be looking for, should the Intel/x64-based Pro lineup continue.

I think it will. And I think that the trade-offs to using a bigger display in Pro 8—perhaps the Core i3 and i5 models will no longer be able to be fanless and silent—will be worth it to those Surface Pro customers who eye the Pro X with lust but stick with the Intel-based Pro for its superior compatibility. (Maybe AMD can solve this issue.) This is especially important to the creative market that gravitates to this form factor, to Surface Pen, and to creative apps like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Which is, of course, one of the issues with Surface Pro X: It can’t run Photoshop, Illustrator, or any other 64-bit app because the ARM platform on which it runs is incompatible, for now, with that all-too-common type of app. (Fortunately, Chrome and other web browsers will automatically deliver a 32-bit x86 version at download time on such PCs, at least until native ARM versions are available.)

The other issue, incidentally, is battery life: Where other ARM-based Windows 10 PCs routinely deliver north of 20 hours of real-world battery life, Microsoft reports that Surface Pro X only provides about 13 hours. That’s better than most Surface PCs, and it is arguably all-day battery life. But we won’t know until we actually use the PC in the real world if this figure is accurate.

Regardless, Surface Pro X will be a tough sell for creatives in the short term, and it will appeal mostly to fashion-conscious early adopters for the foreseeable future. This makes tons of sense: It is a gorgeous device, and that 13-inch display could make it more viable as a laptop alternative for a larger audience. You know, if Microsoft ever really figures out the application compatibility thing. But whatever: You can see the future in Surface Pro X. And some won’t be willing to wait. I get it.

Surface Laptop was, to me, the star of the show. It was somewhat embarrassing that Microsoft didn’t release its first MacBook Air clone—er, first laptop—until 2017, fully seven years after Apple unveiled the second-generation MacBook Air on which every single Ultrabook ever made is a direct descendant. It was perhaps doubly embarrassing that the firm felt the need to differentiate the product using a carpet-like Alcantara coating on most models. Oh, and by including only a single USB port. Geesh.

Despite all that, Surface Laptop is one of the very best laptops I’ve ever used—and I review a ton of laptops—thanks to its high density 3:2 display and near-perfect keyboard and touchpad experiences. And with the third generation product, Microsoft has righted all the wrongs.

First, it’s available without Alcantara across the board. Those that do want the carpet will probably be able to find a version with it. But for the majority of people who don’t want the feel of crushed Cheetos under their palms while they type, the Surface Laptop 3 is now available in an all-aluminum finish in a variety of colors. Perfection.

Microsoft also fixed the serviceability issue with previous Surface Laptops; by which I mean the previous models were not at all serviceable and a technician had to destroy the Alcantara covering in order to access the machine’s insides. For Surface Laptop 3, Alcantara or no, that’s no longer the case, and a technician can now easily access the inside of the PC, and replace its storage module, without screwing anything up. Smart.

Most important, at least to me, Surface Laptop 3 is also available now in 15-inch versions, and this thin and light wonder should trigger some truly jealous stares from MacBook Pro owners who overpaid for their computers and their terrible keyboards. Oh, and macOS. I mean, can you imagine that hell? I hope to review Surface Laptop 3 in the 15-inch configuration but either way I’m buying one.

Finally, Microsoft added USB-C to Surface Laptop and kept the USB-A port too. Perfect.

Looking to the top of the Surface lineup, Microsoft did not update Surface Book 2 or Surface Studio. Both are already outfitted with USB-C, so that’s not a huge problem. And I don’t expect any major form factor changes in either whenever they are updated. The Surface Book 2 could come soon, actually, if Brad’s sources are correct. Either way, it’s slotted into the “portable workstation” category. Perhaps Surface Studio could be upgraded to become a true desktop workstation as well. We’ll see.

I’ve seen some negativity around the Surface event, but with this belated shift to USB-C, Microsoft has finally created a cohesive family of devices with consistent expansion that is fully backward compatible with yesterday’s Surface docks and other peripherals. That’s good for both its business customers and for individuals, and what I meant earlier by different ways to lead and different kinds of authority. With this new lineup, Microsoft has done right by all its customers. And that, I think, is all we can ask. And all we should expect.