Microsoft Announces Surface Book i7, Desktop PC 'Surface Studio,' and Windows 10 Creators Update

[villicodelirant]

Swing and a miss.
Good luck.

I'm sorry, I always have trouble understanding what you mean.
Might have to do with me not being an English speaker, but... what did the above mean?

 

[rowspaxe]

I am using it right now on my own custom build i7 PC because Apple won't pull their finger out and upgrade the Mac Pro.

for example - Windows Settings and control panel perform SOME of the same functions but you have to use old style control panel for most things.

Metro apps I am talking about the inbuilt ones...compared to OSX versions hey are very limited.
Windows mail is terrible
Calender is slightly better
Maps is slow and Renders Text badly and off line.
Edge is ok but fails to render some sites correctly - down to the website designers really
onenote is nowhere near as good as the old classic version
photos is about the best app on there.
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I am talking about the mix of styles - for example computer settings and control panel

Windows 10 is shocking. There is so much inconsistency with the 2 design styles and most of the time you are happily in the Metro side and get booted out to the Classic side... i.e to look at anything to do with the system... and all their metro apps are crippled beyond usability... even the Calender and email is terrible.

Your second windows take less is hysterical than the first, which prompted me to wonder if you had used the os. In the first post you recount that Windows is "shocking" booting you from tablet to desktop mode, that there is "so much inconsistency with the 2 design styles " and that all metro apps are "metro apps are crippled beyond usability". Your second post is a reasonable collection of small gripes. So which is it? Shocking, or imperfect

Also, re oneNote, the free "metro" version has less functionality but is --imo--better for notes on the fly--I use both versions. Thanks for clarifying. I have these and other windows gripes, but the os has offsetting stengths like touch, digital pen, etc.

 

[Hamado]

I thought the same. I'm so used to macOS with the trackpad gestures and the toolbar on top of the screen. I tried Windows 10 and I don't like the way the settings are organized. Finder is easier than Windows Explorer and less cluttered.
But this PC Studio looks good and you can use like a giant tablet.
I think Apple is slowing down on new stuff but...let's wait for tomorrow's keynote to make fair judgement.

you can move the taskbar to the top of the screen on Windows.

 

[Hamado]

Looks pretty impressive, at $700 more than the most expensive preconfigured iMac (although custom builds go higher), its definitely aimed at creative professionals. The devil will be in the detail though and much of the functionality won't be available till early next year when they release the creative pack.

Further, at that price point it's not going to scavenge much of Apples iMac sales, I don't think. Additionally Apple seem ideologically opposed to touch screens on desktop devices, mostly for usability reasons. So it will be interesting to see just how useable such a device actually is in real life.

Microsoft could have really shot up their market share if they would have priced these more competitively. The design and specs are great, but not many people are looking to buy a $3,000 desktop or a $2400 laptop.

this thing is actually priced very competitively. The Surface Studio is 4.5K touch screen with a computer built in; a 27" Wacom Cintiq QHD is almost $2800 for the 2K screen alone and you would need to pay more for the PC

 

[danielwsmithee]

"Today Apple and Tim cook appear to view the iPhone as the center of your digital life. "

Being that the smartphone / iPhone is the most popular consumer device in history & possibly the only "computer" most users will ever need, I can fully understand why. But regarding Steve Jobs strategy of the Mac being the "Digital Hub", he actually changed that strategy in 2011 to iCloud being your "Digital Hub" with the Mac being relegated to just another device:

Thanks, well they are clearly working towards that strategy now and treating as just another product... Even the Apple TV seems to getting as much attention as the Mac these days.

 

[Hamado]

I like the designs of the PC's - but, man Microsoft has to get their act together with their hi-dpi support in Windows 10 - with that sort of a high density pixel resolution on that Surface Studio PC - Windows has to look the part. Ever tried Windows 10 on a 5K iMac? Don't. It looks horrible. Scaling is not supported throughout programs. Not 3rd party at least, meaning you get teeny tiny toolbar icons more often than not.

I'm using a 4K monitor with a machine running Win10 Pro, and I had no scaling problems (not with Adobe nor MS apps). There used to be some that had scaling issues when Win8 came out, but the problem had been from the developers side who didn't implement the instructions and protocols that MS had made available to developers long time ago.

 

[bladerunner2000]

They wont, its pretty much confirmed. Apple doesn't care about nor does it respect it's prosumers.

They'll refresh the Mac Pro.

Told ya.

 

[smoledman]

Why all the talk about Apple in a Microsoft thread?

 

[kyykesko]

SurfaceBook vs Macbook Pro. Windows+good keyboard vs OS X+useless onscreen-keyboard-lookalike. Easy choice even though I dislike Windows. Both have inadequate battery life in real life. It doesn't matter if it can idle on your desk unused for 9 hours if the battery drains to empty in ~4 hours of real life use. Maybe I'll just go with a Fujitsu Lifebook with a dual battery. Couldn't care less about thin computers anyway. I use mine for work, not as a table decoration / paper knife.

 

[0388631]

Personally, I wouldn't buy the Surfacebook. You get shortchanged with the small drive. The Surface Studio is much better, but it's still got a hybrid drive. Seems silly in this day and age. You're better off getting a G1 Z3 AiO for that price, sans touch screen.

 

[allan.nyholm]

I'm using a 4K monitor with a machine running Win10 Pro, and I had no scaling problems (not with Adobe nor MS apps). There used to be some that had scaling issues when Win8 came out, but the problem had been from the developers side who didn't implement the instructions and protocols that MS had made available to developers long time ago.

I'm unsure what then makes the 5K different. Yeah I think I know. A 450% scaling makes the difference.

As an example with no pictures I can only urge people here who uses Windows 10 Pro x64 on their 5iMac to look at the Bluetooth settings window and notice the yellow warning triangle. It is not supposed to be one 4th of the regular size of that icon. Turn off the scaling that BootCamp sets and turn it to 200% and down the resolution and things fall into place but the Retina 5K clearness is gone. Try the 7zip program on a 4K and above display and have a field day.

 

[Appleaker]

Told ya.

We'll see.

But I do think you're right in terms of the new MacBook Pro. Despite being out of reach for many (which will change over time), the lack of an SD card slot is a stupid move as it is a still widely used standard for some types of professionals. In terms of the other ports:

• - HDMI was always going to go in a redesign.
• - Thunderbolt was going to be updated.
• - USB A was going to be replaced by USB C.
• - MagSafe should have stayed, but it's likely for consistency and the "Thunderbolt and Lightning" connector strategy.

 

[Winni]

Personally, I wouldn't buy the Surfacebook. You get shortchanged with the small drive. The Surface Studio is much better, but it's still got a hybrid drive. Seems silly in this day and age. You're better off getting a G1 Z3 AiO for that price, sans touch screen.

Good luck trying to get a 2 TB SSD disk. And comparing this machine to a non-touch display AIO is entirely missing the point, since the Surface Studio is all about the touch screen and the pen and the Dial.

 

[0388631]

Good luck trying to get a 2 TB SSD disk. And comparing this machine to a non-touch display AIO is entirely missing the point, since the Surface Studio is all about the touch screen and the pen and the Dial.

You'll be happy to know you can select 3 drives. Boot drive can be a 1 TB PCIe SSD, plus a 1 TB 7200 RPM drive, if not, you can forgo the mechanical drive for a 1 TB SSD SATA. For the second drive, or rather the third, you have the options between a 256 GB, 512 GB and 1 TB PCIe SSD. But alas, no touch. Which may be a deal breaker for some despite a Wacom being the higher quality product. And you don't need to spend a fortune on a Cintiq.

 

[Digital Dude]

In the past, I wasn't all impressed with Windows machines. However, the Creative Studio thing' sure does look nice on the surface. At least it's capable of 32 GB of RAM. Cortina is much more fluid and robust than Siri. I mean, I was all set to order a new MacBook Pro, but there's just too many things about it that have me concerned. As I type on this butterfly keyboard on my 12-inch MacBook, almost every key requires at least two strikes to get it to work. The last time I was at the Apple Store, they cleaned it and said that it is more susceptible to dust, so more care has to be taken. Never had that before with any computer besides this one. Love my iPhone 7 and my new ceramic Apple Watch, but that's it.

 

[Jack Burton]

Impressions by a friend of mine who uses the iPad Pro: in the surface studio, the air gap between the pen and pixels is larger than the iPad Pro, but less than the cintiq.

The cursor latency isn't as good as working directly on the iPad Pro, better than the cintiq, and close to using the iPad Pro wired connection with Astro pad.

He's sticking with the iPad. That's a sample size of one, but a highly informed single opinion.

 

[tw1ll]

Finally had a chance to see the Microsoft launch video and look at the website. Comparing the MS event with Apple's this week, I am disheartened that for the first time probably ever, I see an MS product in the Surface Studio that is desirable with use cases that I can relate to. What on earth has happen at Apple (Innovate? - nope)? I cannot justify the premium now just to buy into OS x and icloud sync across devices.

 

[smoledman]

Finally had a chance to see the Microsoft launch video and look at the website. Comparing the MS event with Apple's this week, I am disheartened that for the first time probably ever, I see an MS product in the Surface Studio that is desirable with use cases that I can relate to. What on earth has happen at Apple (Innovate? - nope)? I cannot justify the premium now just to buy into OS x and icloud sync across devices.

I don't know. Microsoft Visio still doesn't have Ink support. As a software engineer I'm not sure what I'd use the Studio for.

 

[tw1ll]

I don't know. Microsoft Visio still doesn't have Ink support. As a software engineer I'm not sure what I'd use the Studio for.

Overkill for software design I would have thought - but I think for graphics/visual artist/creation MS may be onto something - especially since many on these forums feel somewhat neglected by Apple.

 

[smoledman]

Overkill for software design I would have thought - but I think for graphics/visual artist/creation MS may be onto something - especially since many on these forums feel somewhat neglected by Apple.

How many Studios will MS sell in the next year? 10-15K units? Will they kill it because it won't be a massive hit? MS has a poor track record of sticking by innovative products that aren't hits immediately. Witness MS Band.

 

[sod]

Still runs windows... xD

That a big bonus!
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That Surface Studio seems like a product Apple would create. Nice job Microsoft

Don't worry. Won't be long before Apple copies this too

 

[Michael Goff]

I am peeved that Microsoft tech specs on Studio don't tell us what kind of RAM or fusion drive they are using.
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I honestly don't understand why Microsoft is bothering with W10 Mobile. Just can it already.

It costs them basically nothing to continue to develop it. Why stop? There is a small audience it caters to.

 

[Hamado]

I cannot even believe that! Its over 4000 USD for Windows all in one PC?
Even the GTX 980 4GB is already too old. It will not be able to handle Photoshop/Gaming at that Display resolution.

I just looked at the MS presentation... I wasn't all that impressed. I like the looks and size of the Studio, but looks too expensive for what it does. MS seems to be on this Artist kick to validate putting touch screen on a everything they make. The dial seems like a waste of time. Why do you really need such a thing?

When it comes right down to it... I'd love to play with a MS studio.... BUT... I think it would be overkill for 99% of what most people do on the computer... like writing in forums or Facebook.

Again...I agree, $4,200 is alot of money to spend on AiO PC, but if you are a professional artist/designer -which this device is catering to-, then you would know the Surface Studio's price is a bargain when you look at the available alternatives.

to have a similar setup, you would needed to shell out $6,198 ($2,799 Wacom Cintiq 27QHD + $3,399 iMac 5K 27", 32GB RAM, i7, 2TB, AMD M395x) and you would still need to handle the size and weight of this setup.

also, Yes! seeing the GTX 980M in this machine is a bit disappointing; however, I don't understand why Apple-fanboyz are complaining of the GTX 980m, you guys already used to getting last year specs!

 

[sod]

The hardware is great, but the software is crap.

That's actually always been the issue with Apple for me. Nice hardware, but the software side has always disappointed.
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And people said Apple computers were expensive, this thing starts at $2,999 and doesn't even include the extras such as that weird Surface dial thing (it costs an extra $100). I don't think Apple will follow suit, they have said in the past that they don't want or believe in using touch for a desktop and or Mac OS.

They will. Apple always ends up following.
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They weren't "bailed out" by Microsoft. The MS investment was mostly meant to be a symbolic offer of support saying that MS believed in the future of Apple.

They were bailed out. Get over it.

 

[rowspaxe]

Personally, I wouldn't buy the Surfacebook. You get shortchanged with the small drive. The Surface Studio is much better, but it's still got a hybrid drive. Seems silly in this day and age. You're better off getting a G1 Z3 AiO for that price, sans touch screen.

only the pen interface is the whole point of the product. but, whatever