Microsoft used an event in the USA to announce its first-ever laptop, which appears to have been well-received by market watchers. We have covered the product, as well as Microsoft’s other announcements, in more detail in ‘Microsoft Announces New Phone, Band, Tablet and Laptop in New York‘, but present a summary here.
Called ‘the first-ever Microsoft laptop’, the Surface Book is designed to challenge Apple’s Macbook – it is said to be 50% faster than the Apple product. The Surface Book runs Windows 10, weighs 0.7kg (1.5kg with keyboard) and is 7.7mm thick. It is a hybrid device with a touchscreen and detachable keyboard.
The notebook’s 13.5″ display has an impressive 3000 x 2000 (3:2) resolution (267 ppi). Core i5 or i7 Intel Skylake processors are installed, and users will have the option of a discrete graphics card, as well.
Storage can range from 128GB to 1TB (SSD), with 8GB or 16GB of RAM. Battery life will be 12 hours. Mini-DisplayPort and USB 3.0 (x2) inputs are featured, as well as a proprietary Surface Connector for attachment to Microsoft’s Surface Dock.
The Surface Book will be launched on the 26th October, for $1,400.
Analyst Comment
Like the original Surface tablet, this move could upset Microsoft’s existing hardware partners such as HP, Lenovo, Dell et al. (TA)
