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

[villicodelirant]

So expensive! I'm used to paying an Apple premium but $3,000 starting price for this thing sounds crazy for what it provides. Even the current 27" iMac is a better value.

How much do the other machines with a multitouch + digitizer > 20" display cost?

Still runs windows... xD

I love how no matter how impressive a machine is, somebody will eventually come up with "it runs Windows".
Would have been witty in 1999. Now it's just sad and a symptom of denial.

Nothing personal, mind you, could literally have been you or anybody else, there's always someone crying "Windows" in the first page of every thread about Windows hardware which is actually decent (I heard that Windows users can buy workstations less than 3 years old, imagine that).

Do you still need Norton?

No, Microsoft Essentials and a working brain are more than enough.
They have been for 14 years now, since XP SP3.
Of course, if you are stupid enough to run that "Viagra.exe" attachment... but this was pretty much established in 1999.

 

[Traverse]

If you can't see the appearance borrowed from the iMac I don't know what to tell you. Their entire line is Apple color-schemed now. They're clearly trying to match Apple's aesthetics. Don't be silly.

What do you expect them to do with the screen? It's a big screen, there are only so many ways to design that. I'd argue that it's not like the iMac. The computer is the in the base and the display can be tilted down to the table (though I doubt the practicality of that). This is an iMac - class device, but not a clone.

 

[thedommer2000]

Since when?

The only people who are pushing 16gb are those who use a Virtual Machines. Or high end content creation. most Amateur / casuall use cases will be more than fine on 8gb, and 16 will likely be more than sufficient. The only people who really will take advantage of 16gb or more today are developers and those who regularly run a lot of VM's

So your statement is fundamentally false.

Yep! 16 is more than enough even for content creators. I abuse my computer for audio (lots of sample based instruments using lots of ram). Very very demanding and I can usually get away with 8 gigs. 16 would be more than enough. 32 gig has to be for the top 1% of users or less.

 

[Traverse]

Yeah, I loved the G4 lamp iMac, I think if Apple went back to have the computer component in a base, they could do some amazing designs and maybe because of what MS is doing, we'll see some major updates to the iMac

I hope so, but I'm expect that in 2017 or 2018 unfortunately. Maybe I'll be surprised tomorrow, but I'm not betting on it.

 

[aUniqueName]

According to Macrumours, this is utter ****.. Skylake in late 2016? Hahahahaha

The reason Apple is going with Skylake instead of Kabylake in the MacBook Pro's is that Kabylake processors do not yet have Iris Pro graphics chip and wont until next year (if ever). Skylake is the latest intel processor made that has on board Iris Pro graphics.

Even though the MacBook Pro will have a discreet graphics card, Apple only makes MacBook Pros with Iris Pro graphics chips.

Do a little research and find out why Apple does things instead of assuming they are just being complacent.

 

[kissmo]

Microsoft makes many times beautiful HW.
Windows 10 is definitely a step forward, MS is on the track no doubt about it.

I just hope they will be able to match the HW and the SW. Somehow they are both OK but when together they lack something.... some uniformity.... I don't know how to call it.

Either way - these devices looks awesome.

One day, soon I hope, MS will equal Apple and I will have more options.
The design of Apple products tends to go to a trend I am not liking that much - SW included.
Not the functionality!!! Apple still leads with HW&SW that simply works overall.

This Pokemon Coloured and Translucent interface is too much for me.
It's like HDR photography in the hands of a beginner - It went a little too further, it feels synthetic not organic. SOmehow tiers me when I use it.

I will still stick to Apple for now but very excited long term for MS!!! Good choice to get rid of that Ballmer - that hunk of beef piece of Love.....

 

[Macalway]

Sure, nice stuff. Rather have a Macbook

BTW, it's nice to have a opening show for the two day billing

 

[JorgTheElder]

I agree, the price tag is a little too high, while I love everything about the Studio, I think MS got a little greedy in setting the price so high.

I think you are crazy. A 27" Wacom Cintiq is over $2700 and that is just a touchscreen tablet that has to be plugged into a computer (and is twice as thick). There is nothing in the market that even competes with this.

 

[inhalexhale1]

If you can't see the appearance borrowed from the iMac I don't know what to tell you. Their entire line is Apple color-schemed now. They're clearly trying to match Apple's aesthetics. Don't be silly.

I don't think raising their bar for design, and having continuity of aesthetics in the Surface line makes the products "clones". That's just silly.

 

[\-V-/]

But it does come at a price.

 

[thekev]

Amazing how similar computers look nowadays to Apple products invented (and still sold) 5 years ago.

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

The studio doesn't strongly resemble anything from Apple. It's competing with wacom. Apple doesn't have anything similar, aside from the iPad Pro and its ghastly pencil accessory.

 

[Mythos99]

I have to say, the Surface Products are really appealing to me, and i wish Apple released all these products, but hey, we get an OLED Bar, that's something, right?

 

[MacDarcy]

As someone said above...but they still run windows. Having said that, I am an Apple guy. Always was, always will be...but I have to admit, this Surface line is looking more unified than Apple's offerings. Apple seems to be all over the place. Hopefully tomorrow will help bring Apple laptops more in line. Why does the Air even still exist? The MacBooks are thinner.

 

[atlatnesiti]

Serface studio surprised me.

serface studio + hackintosh = awsome computer

Yes it does look awesome, but outdated hardware wise even before it hits the shelves - not a single USB C/Thundebolt port. Really Microsoft...?!

 

[Boatboy24]

They may have out-Appled Apple with this. Pricing aside, there's quite a bit to be excited about.

I'm beginning to think tomorrow is going to be a significant let-down.

 

[Atarikid]

Most comments say it is a nice design but they do forget it is running Windows. Nuff said...

 

[\-V-/]

I don't think raising their bar for design, and having continuity of aesthetics in the Surface line makes the products "clones". That's just silly.

Pretty sure people just mean they're borrowing Apple's aesthetic appeal. You're nitpicking.

 

[KALLT]

yes, but this excuse is wearing thin...

Not really. Admittedly, Windows has the edge on performance and Microsoft actually cares about 3D graphics and up-to-date GPU drivers. I feel Apple is not getting the most out of the hardware they ship, which is also outdated presently. However, Windows 10 still has many of the platform’s shortcomings and frustrations that it had for a long time and Windows 10 added a new level of frustration due to Microsoft’s changed focus on Internet services and the inherent data collection.

I think Windows 10 is worse in many aspects. Set up and configuration take a lot of time because of its complicated and messy user interface (now you have the old Control Panel and the new Settings app, which sometimes overlap and are sometimes mutually exclusive) and all the data collection that is happening now requires paying extra attention, because Microsoft wants you to leave everything on. There are also too many weird issues still that sometimes require following obscure solutions to change something in the Registry. I am currently running Windows 10 on a spare laptop and it only has a few games on it. It causes such an overhead with its unexpected system upgrades and often manages to break or revert something. The Anniversary Update undid many of the privacy settings again and Edge was again the main browser (Windows now actively discourages you from changing this).

I consider myself to be tech savvy and Windows just makes me uncomfortable. Microsoft now pushes you to open up the system and use their apps as much as possible, going so far as to sneakily overwrite your previous choices and giving you nudges when you change something they don’t want. This paternalistic and disrespectful attitude is what puts me off the most and Apple is not even getting close to this. It feels like you are fighting a bureaucratic machine.

That said, Microsoft’s new hardware looks fantastic. It has a coherent and appealing industrial design and excellent specs. If this were capable of running OS X, I would likely buy this.

 

[RamGuy]

I think you are crazy. A 27" Wacom Cintiq is over $2700 and that is just a touchscreen tablet that has to be plugged into a computer (and is twice as thick). There is nothing in the market that even competes with this.

Problem is.. You are assuming that this will be as good as a Wacom Cintiq. Only time will tell, but my bet is that it won't be as good so it won't really compete with Wacom Cintiq at all.

Is it one thing we have learned from the Surface / Surface Pro and especially the Surface Book, it has to be the fact that Microsoft is having trouble with getting the hardware to perform at it's best.

 

[Kiwikat88]

Very impressed they have a GTX 965 in the Surface Book.

That would have been impressive last year when the original model was released. Throw a 1060 in that thing.

 

[AustinJamMan]

Lots of folks saying "if only it ran Mac OS". I've been a Mac diehard for years, switched to Surface Book this summer. Windows 10, for those who haven't spent much time in it, is quite capable and very well built. The Surface Book is amazingly versatile and I love that I can take notes in one form, and flip the tablet out to laptop mode when needed, and then flip over for movies. Lots of great functionality between the form factor and the OS tailored to take advantage of the hardware.

 

[idark77]

In the last couple of years Microsoft showed to be innovative. The Surface line is very beautiful and versatile, Apple now has to fight them. Tomorrow is the great day (the "D-DAY") and Apple will shows its machines to contrast Microsoft's products.
The fight seems very interesting... We will see, we will see...

 

[pat500000]

I don't think Apple could justify keeping high price for their products any longer. Thank goodness for competition.

 

[bighype]

Microsoft should send Tim Cook a bottle of wine as thanks for killing the Mac.

F U Cook! Just retire already!! You're killing Apple!

 

[\-V-/]

That would have been impressive last year when the original model was released. Throw a 1060 in that thing.

Yeah, no kidding. Laptops have them now. There's no reason to stick the 9-series in anything.