Today in New York, Microsoft announced Surface Laptop, a new premium offering that runs Windows 10 S and corrects some of the design mistakes in Surface Book.
I’ve already written a lot about this device, in a way: In March, I wondered aloud about “an affordable Surface Book 2 Laptop.” And back in January, I looked ahead to the ways in which Microsoft might improve on its gorgeous but too expensive Surface Book design this year.
So there’s no need to rehash the past, other than to point out my most obvious point: Nobody was asking for a large, detachable Surface-branded laptop. What customers were asking for, however, is a Surface-branded MacBook Air. A non-detachable Surface-branded laptop, in other words.
Ladies and gentlemen, Microsoft just announced that product.
And, seriously, kudos to the software giant for not wasting two or three years arriving at the obvious: As originally released, Surface Book was too expensive, and its design—with that goofy and unreliable hinge—was compromised. Surface Laptop solves these problems. It’s a laptop, the form factor people really want. And it’s less expensive—much less expensive—than Surface Book.
Excellent.
While it is very reminiscent of Surface Book, Surface Laptop is more stylish than other Surface devices: It will come in four colors—Platinum, Burgundy, Cobalt Blue, and Graphite Gold—and will include an Alcantara-covered keyboard. The form factor is basically that of Surface Book, with the same 13.5-inch screen, but it appears to be thinner (9.9mm at the front tapering to 14.47mm at the rear) and, at 2.76 pounds, it’s a bit lighter.
The ports are minimal: On the left, we see USB 3 and miniDisplayPort, only, plus a headphone jack. And there’s a Surface Connect port (boo!) on the right. Yes, that’s everything. (And no, there’s no USB-C/Thunderbolt 3. It looks like Microsoft is milking its peripheral compatibility for another year.)
This machine looks amazing. AMAZING.
More soon.
And kudos to Walking Cat for the leaks.
Tagged with Surface Laptop
