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

[Sakurambo-kun]

Apple doesn't care for OpenGL. Metal is the way forward.

No it's not. What developer is going to support an API which only runs on one platform which has a tiny market share? Vulkan is cross platform and much lower level than Metal. DX12 is similarly low level and has the advantage of being on windows.

Proprietary closed formats only succeed when you have a massive market share.
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Wacom just got toppled, and toppled hard. If you use Windows and a cintiq, I believe this is the better option.

I can see 2D artists going for the Studio but 3D artists, such as zbrush sculptors need the power of a desktop.

 

[cycomiko]

Its about the chips. All about the chips and intel delays. All the lovely analysts are predicting Jan/Feb based upon supply chain shenanigans.

The chips...

They can update many things on the product without chips.

They can update the price to make old products look better
They can update the base specs
they can provide accessories as standard

They did nothing. Just like apple.

When they finally update something, I am guessing they will add 50% to the price, so they can continue to be like apple

 

[Appleaker]

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

Thanks for keeping us informed <eyeroll>.

I didn't specify when
Presumingly they are waiting on components such as the Kaby Lake Xeons. However they've been testing models for at least almost a year now.

 

[Jack Burton]

I can see 2D artists going for the Studio but 3D artists, such as zbrush sculptors need the power of a desktop.

I'll be curious to see impressions from zBrush artists. I don't think it will have enough power for a more traditional 3d animator, at least until they update with with newer GPUs. At that point though, the cost becomes pretty insane and I might as well stick with a traditional desktop and cintiq if I really need one (I don't).

I use a basic intuos and it has made world of difference for my hand and arm problems I got from overusing a mouse.

 

[AppleScruff1]

Why don't you?

Witty reply.

 

[villicodelirant]

It's not immoral or evil. The Borg were not either.
They are who they are.

I'm not well versed in Star Trek (at least not the '80s one). What are you implying?

 

[Savor]

I told myself that the MBA could be the last Apple product I will buy. My first and last Mac. I could be right in a few years if Microsoft continues to improve their products.

I would still keep the MBA as a backup notebook. It is a good idea to have at least two smartphone in case the other fizzles out or gets lost or stolen. Same applies with laptops. Good to have at least two. I might actually get another computer next year just because how tiresome all smartphones have become as of late. Back to Windows very soon but I have zero allegiance to any brand.

 

[Michael Goff]

No it's not. What developer is going to support an API which only runs on one platform which has a tiny market share? Vulkan is cross platform and much lower level than Metal. DX12 is similarly low level and has the advantage of being on windows.

Proprietary closed formats only succeed when you have a massive market share.
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I can see 2D artists going for the Studio but 3D artists, such as zbrush sculptors need the power of a desktop.

Worse than that, Metal is both proprietary AND inferior to Vulkan/DX12.

 

[Trusteft]

I'm not well versed in Star Trek (at least not the '80s one). What are you implying?

That for their own reasons (morality is irrelevant), they are pushing and "attacking" and they don't let anyone just live outside their conquests, even though they pose no threat.
OK that doesn't help.
First they pushed W10 down the throats of everyone, without giving them the option to not be bothered every day about the free "upgrade" to W10. EVERY FRAKING DAY. Yes there were eventually solutions to block that, but that's irrelevant as it isn't what they did.
Even before the "offer" to live as they want ie with W10 expired, they started changing the previous recent versions of Windows (7 and 8 and 8.1). I don't remember the details any more. But the latest of those changes was the bundling of patches with Windows Update into single installations, without the option to choose what to install. No matter if you just didn't feel like installing a certain program, or you didn't want to install something which you knew it was trouble. For example I recently had a wifi driver installed in such a way (it was bundled with god knows what else), which just made my wifi card of that laptop stop responding. Thankfully I thought of rolling back to the previous driver...till the next time it auto installs of course when I try to install the next bundle of patches for the OS. All this because it already is an issue with W10, and it is something that people who don't want to install W10 use as (one of many) reason. So, they push this to W8-7 with the excuse that it is magically better for everyone. The only thing they do of course is make people who use those OSes think that now they have one less reason to not "upgrade" to W10.
This behavior is revolting. They try anything to make you join them, ie W10.
And I don't even go to the whole keystrokes, files opened, logging and reporting to MS servers that W10 have.
So yeah, that's about it.

 

[SlCKB0Y]

In other word you're a fanboy addicted to apple flavored kool-aid and as such denies any fact that goes against you fantasy... Gotcha.

Not at all. The article you linked to was limited in accuracy because the author at the time was limited in information.

 

[Rocketman]

Witty reply.

That said, why don't you?

 

[Mactendo]

Have you seen the situation on Windows Phone? It's done, and Microsoft have moved on as well. Microsoft's focus on mobile is on platform agnostic services, thus they are building al their products from Office to Cortana for iOS and Android. Windows Phone is done. A mobile platform where one of the biggest internet company (Google) refused to develop apps for is dead in the water.

They'll come back with the Surface Phone one day and with time and patience it'll own the market.

 

[Renzatic]

Witty reply.

With a dash of faux-pithyness added on top for tha flavah.

 

[n2arkitektur]

These prices don't seem so outrageous, now, that Apple has announced prices for the new MBPs.

 

[pika2000]

They'll come back with the Surface Phone one day and with time and patience it'll own the market.

Own the market? LOL. Keep dreaming. Microsoft themselves have moved on.

 

[Mactendo]

Own the market? LOL. Keep dreaming. Microsoft themselves have moved on.

LOL. Keep dreaming.

 

[smoledman]

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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Own the market? LOL. Keep dreaming. Microsoft themselves have moved on.

I honestly don't understand why Microsoft is bothering with W10 Mobile. Just can it already.

 

[pika2000]

I honestly don't understand why Microsoft is bothering with W10 Mobile. Just can it already.

Actually, Microsoft has moved on. They realized they were too late in mobile, thus they are bringing their services, like Office and Cortana, to iOS and Android. Microsoft under Satya has a larger vision now.

 

[Renzatic]

Actually, Microsoft has moved on. They realized they were too late in mobile, thus they are bringing their services, like Office and Cortana, to iOS and Android. Microsoft under Satya has a larger vision now.

They're still goofing around with mobile, releasing fairly regular updates for all their Windows Phones, even though you could pretty much stick a fork in the platform by this point.

I don't think they've abandoned it entirely just yet, though they're not actively pushing it anymore. It's like they're keeping it around as a contingency or something.

 

[pika2000]

They're still goofing around with mobile, releasing fairly regular updates for all their Windows Phones, even though you could pretty much stick a fork in the platform by this point.

I don't think they've abandoned it entirely just yet, though they're not actively pushing it anymore. It's like they're keeping it around as a contingency or something.

Well, there are still some uses for it. Eg, for enterprise solutions, where frequent updates and apps are not needed. Windows Phone creates a secure option for enterprise phones if they don't want to go iOS. Thus they have the expensive HP phone.

But at consumer level, it's a foregone conclusion.

 

[villicodelirant]

First they pushed W10 down the throats of everyone, without giving them the option to not be bothered every day about the free "upgrade" to W10.

Did not happen here, but even then... I mean, Ubuntu does the same exact thing.
"Welcome to Ubuntu yourversion+1 LTS, upgrade now"?
I mean, find 10 minutes to upgrade and be done with it.

For example I recently had a wifi driver installed in such a way (it was bundled with god knows what else), which just made my wifi card of that laptop stop responding. Thankfully I thought of rolling back to the previous driver...till the next time it auto installs of course when I try to install the next bundle of patches for the OS.

I don't think that the fact that your wifi drivers are crappy qualifies Microsoft as some kind of nazi space alien race.
Issues with drivers are as old as Windows 95, it happens.
Microsoft is guilty of not taking nearly enough precautions with that (otherwise in 20 years the world would have seen a reduction in driver-related issues on WIndows), but...

The only thing they do of course is make people who use those OSes think that now they have one less reason to not "upgrade" to W10.
This behavior is revolting. They try anything to make you join them, ie W10.

Well... you know... Microsoft is a for-profit company.
They make their money by selling copies of their software and some of their hardware.
Of course they try to sell more of them through their licensing model?

You could say the same of Apple, I mean: "macOS is free, Apple is clearly trying to chain you to their OS, version after version, when you could just install the latest Ubuntu!"

 

[Trusteft]

Did not happen here, but even then... I mean, Ubuntu does the same exact thing.
"Welcome to Ubuntu yourversion+1 LTS, upgrade now"?
I mean, find 10 minutes to upgrade and be done with it.



I don't think that the fact that your wifi drivers are crappy qualifies Microsoft as some kind of nazi space alien race.
Issues with drivers are as old as Windows 95, it happens.
Microsoft is guilty of not taking nearly enough precautions with that (otherwise in 20 years the world would have seen a reduction in driver-related issues on WIndows), but...



Well... you know... Microsoft is a for-profit company.
They make their money by selling copies of their software and some of their hardware.
Of course they try to sell more of them through their licensing model?

You could say the same of Apple, I mean: "macOS is free, Apple is clearly trying to chain you to their OS, version after version, when you could just install the latest Ubuntu!"

Swing and a miss.
Good luck.

 

[prowlmedia]

Reading this makes me deeply skeptical you have ever used Windows 10: what are you talking about?

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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Right? I think prowlmedia thinks Windows 8 is Windows 10. "Metro side" in Windows 10????????

I am talking about the mix of styles - for example computer settings and control panel

 

[usamaah]

Microsoft has no ecosystem.
Apple has one: Desktop - Laptop - Tablet - Smartphone - Watch - TV - Radio - Store - Cloud.

So two things.

First, Microsoft does have their own ecosystem, but it doesn't have the same focus as Apple. Some things compete and some don't. And now many of the devices in their ecosystem are all truly running one OS. Microsoft Store, Surface (Laptop and Tablet in one, Studio (high end desktop), Phone (albeit almost dead), Xbox, Hololens, the new VR system, and Azure/Live/Bing and Office 365 (all Cloud services) plus third parties is how the Windows ecosystem works.

But secondly, when I said ecosystem I really meant high end pro series computers. Microsoft products like the Studio bring competition to that.

 

[prowlmedia]

Asus basically creates its own version of iPad Pro, Surface Pro, Macbook, Watch, and iMac. Now they will created the Asus version o Surface Studio.

I see. Possibly. Not sure if they be able to match the screen / controller functionality and if the API is open for that.