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

[johngordon]

Wow the Surface Studio looks amazing! (And Apple has clearly set a trend for Marketing Videos).

Yeah -its pretty blatant, right down to the wallpaper!

 

[smacrumon]

THAT IS CLUNKY. AWFUL. LOOKS LIKE SILVER SPRAY PAINTED PLASTIC.

 

[MH01]

You sir, don't know what you are talking about. No "agency" will utilise computers with consumer hardware for anything professional. Comparing a computer with mobile GPU, and low voltage Intel Core i7 with a Mac Pro running dual Intel Xeon, ECC memory and workstation graphics card is just plain stupid.

This compares to the iMac, and not the Mac Pro.

Owwwww really..... I see a lot of agencies using iMacs.....cause they are better machines than the Mac pros , and I visit a lot of agencies .

You do realise a creative agency does not require Xeon CPUs? These are not mission critical servers....it's a tool for creative individuals.

also the irony of your post, as the Mac Pro had a bad failure rate for the D700s..... many actually switched from the old Mac Pro to iMac.....

Working for the BBC , the agencies we use are mostly iMac if we are talking apple. If you are talking heavy video editing that the Mac Pro was designed for, most have switched to PC.

I know what I'm talking about, see it on a daily basis.

 

[sunapple]

I dunno, man, the G4 iMac is still, IMO, the prettiest desktop computer ever made.

I agree, got one in my room. It was a great solution to the problem; how do we make an all-in-one with a thin LCD screen instead of the big CRT which had plenty of space. I do think the iMac G5-and-later design was more practical because it freed up some space on your desk. However, a touch-screen LCD might need the G4 arm back.

I would love to take a look in the Apple design studio at the prototypes.

 

[EdwardC]

Wow, that Studio is really nice looking!

 

[Santabean2000]

...Microsoft is swinging for the fences and its shows, where as I feel Apple is complacent - I hope at least I'm wrong and tomorrow's event will surprise me

Exactly. This is just the beginning, I think. If it's not MS, then Google et al will continue the trend.

How many of you can honestly say you aren't tempted? Or impressed at least.

This hardware is all over other Apple sites like this one, with everyone looking to Apple and saying "what ya got?".

If Apple rocks up tomorrow with just a thinner MBP with a 'glow-in-the-dark stick' attached, slightly larger MacBook and some other fluff, then we really know the writing is on the wall.

Apple is missing the relentless drive that Steve brought to the table. Obviously he's gone now, but I can't help but think Tim needs to move out of the way too.

Where are the  folks with genuine passion for tech?

 

[Lesser Evets]

that desktop looks horrendous.

I thought people on here had eyes. That desktop looks like a DIY mess. It's a design right out of Doctor Who 1985, made of door handles and a biscuit tin.

 

[ashdelacroix]

Microsoft is going for the creative professionals....the exact market Apple has abandoned. Well done.
[doublepost=1477504462][/doublepost]
Who cares. They took an idea and improved it. Never heard of that one before...

I care.

The implication that Microsoft, in one design, has now established itself as "better than Apple", is ridiculous and impulsive. Apple is still Apple, it got us here to a world of great design (well, if you discount the 99% of PCs that look crap) and it has not suddenly relinquished its reputation, even where some of its product cycles need explaining.

 

[codydale]

I have to say, Surface Studio is really appealing to me. I hope Apple will at least mention something about iMac, or Mac Pro tomorrow...

I don't completely disagree - but is it less appealing when you know it starts at $2999.99 and goes to around $4200.00?

 

[AppleMad98004]

I posted this a few years ago, when I started school, I was envious of my friends who had Macbooks. The machine was amazing. Word for mac had a feature which allowed me to record my notes as I was typing them. The ability to swipe to browse the net, was just amazing. The ability to read and respond to iMessages from my Macbook. I genuinely felt like I could get more done faster.

Now that Macbook feels old and dated, and the new ones feel like minor upgrades. While P.C. Laptops are blowing Apple out of the water. The Dell XPS13 is a good example or the Razer Blade series. They are booth good looking laptops, using current generation hardware, and cost about as much as the Macbook and Macbook Pro. Can I also add they have more than one port and the powerbrick doesn't break after a year.

Now Microsoft is releasing feels new and fresh, and I admit over priced. But next to the iMac it just makes you wonder. Look at the display on that, and compare it to the display on the iMac. The fact it has a touch screen. The fact it doesn't have these massive bezels. The fact that it looks like something out of 2016 and not 2006.

Microsoft is aiming this device squarely at Apple traditional bread and butter. Creative Enterprises. Creative professionals have always wanted Apple products because they fit their niche better but Apple has abandoned them in favour of the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch crowd. Don't be surprised to see in 5 years Microsoft surpassing Apple in this market if Apple does not step up its game.

Hopefully tomorrow will bring something to be excited about. If not I think I am going to replace my dying Macbook with a Dell XPS13 or a Razer Blade Stealth.

Well said. I agree if the only "innovation" is an OLED strip and TouchID on the new MacBooks I will disappointed.

Apple is going to lose it's creative user base as Apple is more interested in iPhone/Watch/Cars/etc and is leaving their computers behind.

 

[Jack Burton]

This compares to the iMac, and not the Mac Pro.

This is quite right.

And the computers that compete with the mac pro destroy Apple's offerings in every regard except if one prefers Mac OS.

You sir, don't know what you are talking about. No "agency" will utilise computers with consumer hardware for anything professional.

Please, not this BS again. The mac pro threads are filled with mac users who insist that iMacs are used in professional work. And they are correct.

I recently toured a couple of large agencies in Austin, and my sister's animation studio in LA and there were iMacs and macbooks galore. That is consumer hardware doing professional work. Not to mention that article on Mac rumors about IBM switching to mac. We don't get to pretend that MS's hardware is somehow beneath us when Apple is running laptop parts in all of their machines except one.

 

[pika2000]

I know, and its no cause for alarm, but the fact remains they're no longer printing money, and they need to start developing products that creates the buzz and excitement like it used too. I think the iPhone 7 was a nice step in the directions, I was pleasantly surprised by that, but I think they need to do more then just an OLED bar in place of the function keys.

Apple is still making profits where their competitors can only dream of.

People talk as if the OLED bar is the only thing that's going to be announced. I do agree that if that's the only seller, then it's a bit of a letdown. However, Apple's focus in mobile to the point that they have arguably the fastest and most efficient mobile SoC cannot be dismissed. Apple simply made a different bet than Microsoft. Apple bet on mobile. Microsoft missed that boat, and bet on something else.

 

[brianvictor7]

I'm sure they will, though I will avoid that place like the plague, lest I fall to temptation

Lol!

For $3000 I would never get it.

But I will be honest: that advert and product inspired wonder and desire in me. That was truly world class. I am glad to see Microsoft finally back on its game.

Apple: you're on notice. Step up!

 

[Queen6]

I'll be the first to admit, that the new Mac Pro was innovative and while many pros poo-poo'd it for various reason, the design was mind blowing. As the years passed, it seemed Apple's interest in the Mac Pro has waned for some reason

My take is Apple simply doesn't care. Apple want`s high volume sales of devices that are cheap to develop and produce, with high margins. If Apple could drop the Mac it would instantly, inversely more of use seem to be dropping the Mac, hardly surprising...

That said I am sure the "Magic Toolbar" will make all the difference /s

Q-6

 

[macUser2007]

Strange, we have our work Mac's hooked up to large touch screen TV's... yes 'Touch'. You will find MacOS adds an Ink option on System Preferences when it detects a touch input.

My impression was that the Mac OS touch capabilities are rather basic, at the level of Windows 8.1 and nowhere near up to Windows 10. Am I missing something?

 

[macduke]

As a creative, the Surface Studio looks like a great replacement for when Apple gives up on the Mac. Too bad it's running Windows.

I really hope that never happens, but we can't help but feel that way. So many of us grew up using Macs and/or went to design school using Macs and now it's just sad. Hopefully they blow us away tomorrow, but I'm skeptical.

Also, as for this fold down touch design, I'm pretty sure Apple has a patent on something like this for the iMac that was filed a while back—like maybe 2010 or 2011? But it might just be the implementation of the heart beat detector which engages the a zero gravity hinge design which lowers it into touch mode, where the UI elements in macOS transform into touch elements. The Apple Pencil would be really interesting in this context, and I'd love to buy a machine like that.

 

[unobtainium]

They're going after the professional market that Apple has completely abandoned.

This, in a nutshell.

By chasing average consumers, Apple has forgotten that creatives and professionals are tastemakers. When they start switching away from Apple, there will be a trickle-down effect. Apple will no longer seem as "cool".

 

[\-V-/]

This, in a nutshell.

By chasing average consumers, Apple has forgotten that creatives and professionals are tastemakers. When they start switching away from Apple, there will be a trickle-down effect. Apple will no longer seem as "cool".

I think Apple has a pretty big lockdown on "cool" ... but the professionals are starting to go elsewhere.

 

[merkinmuffley]

Apples new watchbands and emojis will blow this MS stuff out of the water.

 

[WhatUp?]

Ah yes!
"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery"

I do hope that these will draw more people into their deserted Microsoft stores. Every time I step in there, I feel sorry for their staff.

 

[LordVic]

My impression was that the Mac OS touch capabilities are rather basic, at the level of Windows 8.1 and nowhere near up to Windows 10. Am I missing something?

No, you're not accurate either

after trying to get OSx installed on a Surface Pro 2 (Cause why not) and getting touch working, OSx touch interface is more like Windows 7. It's just not designed for touch at all, to the point where most interaction was almost impossible. menus that are too small. borders that don't lend themselves to be grabbed and dragged. buttons that are too close together so that you can't easily just hit one.

I don't fault Apple for this. OSx was never intended for touch. But it was an interesting experiment to see how it would fare. And that was badly.

 

[JorgTheElder]

The Surface Studio is NOT an all-in-one. The guts of the computer are clearly in a separate unit, and that makes mounting the "all-in-one" on a flexible arm either impractical or ridiculous. The keyboard can't even rest partially under the monitor while working, because the guts of the computer are in the way. And speaking of the keyboard, it looks like an Apple keyboard.

LOL.. All of the early iMacs had the computer in the base. You bias is showing.

 

[\-V-/]

THAT IS CLUNKY. AWFUL. LOOKS LIKE SILVER SPRAY PAINTED PLASTIC.

 

[pika2000]

My impression was that the Mac OS touch capabilities are rather basic, at the level of Windows 8.1 and nowhere near up to Windows 10. Am I missing something?

Other than the pen, touch on Windows 10 is not that great either. Believe me, I have the Surface Pro 4. Microsoft tried to compromise since so many users were complaining about Windows 8. In the end, even in tablet mode, it's not a good experience. Heck, not all the settings are even made available from the new Settings app. You still have to go to the old Control panel.

 

[unobtainium]

I think Apple has a pretty big lockdown on "cool" ... but the professionals are starting to go elsewhere.

They do for now. But once DJs, artists, designers, etc. start switching away from Apple, there will eventually be damage to the brand. Consumer perceptions can shift pretty quickly.

Apple has made a big mistake in ignoring professionals. Cook thinks he's just following the money (average consumers), but he's forgetting that the pros are the tastemakers.