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.
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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.
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#109055"><em>In reply to k:</em></a></blockquote><p>"People want convenience and "security", not compatibility and flexibility."</p><p><br></p><p>Which people are you referring to? The failure of WinRT devices is good evidence that compatibility is exactly what people want.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#109064"><em>In reply to maethorechannen:</em></a></blockquote><p>That would be a dumb decision on MS's part but then there's precedent for that lately.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#109166"><em>In reply to scotttech1:</em></a></blockquote><p>And what percentage of Chromebooks sold are high-end devices? </p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#109352"><em>In reply to paladintom:</em></a></blockquote><p>I agree that the average Chromebook is a lot cheaper than a high end Chromebook or the Surface Laptop. On the other hand, there are Windows PCs that are just as cheap as the cheapest Chromebook.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#110589"><em>In reply to SvenJ:</em></a></blockquote><p>But you can still buy full Windows 10 PCs for less than $189. </p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#110589"><em>In reply to SvenJ:</em></a></blockquote><p>What is interesting is that if you look at the Microsoft devices page, the only device with a listed price of $189 doesn't run Windows 10 S, it runs Windows 10 Pro. </p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#109133"><em>In reply to scotttech1:</em></a></blockquote><p>It's likely that any upgrade scenario is going to cost you more than just buying a PC with the version of Windows you really want. Windows S and Windows Pro are at opposite ends of the productivity spectrum.</p>
skane2600
<blockquote><a href="#110588"><em>In reply to SvenJ:</em></a></blockquote><p>I found new Win 10 Pro laptops for as little as $279 from Dell. One could probably find a lower price elsewhere. MS mentioned the lowest price for a Windows 10 S laptop would be $189, but we don't know what it's specs will be. The fact is that the economics of PCs are the same for everyone. BTW, at Dell's website upgrading from Windows 10 home to Pro is also $50. The bottom line is that buying the cheapest of Windows S computers and then upgrading to Pro isn't a very smart way to go. When you consider the high cost of the Surface laptop and it's meddling specs, you could say that the Pro upgrade is already "baked" in the price.</p>