Microsoft Discontinues iMac Rival Surface Studio 2+

[MacRumors]

Microsoft has discontinued its Surface Studio 2+, marking the end of the company's only direct competitor to Apple's iMac, leaving a gap in the Windows ecosystem for high-end all-in-one PCs.

Microsoft has confirmed to Windows Central that it has ended production of the Surface Studio 2+, a premium all-in-one desktop designed for creative professionals. With remaining stock now limited to retailers and partners, there is likely no successor to the Studio 2+ planned. This effectively ends Microsoft's efforts to compete in the high-end all-in-one market dominated by Apple's iMac, a fixture of creative workspaces for decades.

First introduced in 2016, the Surface Studio formed an attempt to challenge Apple's hold on the creative professional market. Its standout feature was a 28-inch 4.5K PixelSense touchscreen mounted on a unique hinge that allowed the display to tilt into a flat, drafting-table position. Paired with accessories like the Surface Dial and Surface Pen, the Studio was designed to attract graphic designers, illustrators, and video editors. Despite its innovative design, the Surface Studio struggled to gain significant traction due to its steep price point, which started at $2,999 for the original model, and its reliance on hardware components that were frequently a generation behind current industry standards.

It's also notable that Microsoft has discontinued other Surface products such as the Surface Duo and Surface Earbuds. In recent years, Microsoft has pivoted toward productivity-focused hardware, such as its Surface Pro and Surface Laptop lines, and enterprise-oriented services like its Copilot AI tools. Meanwhile, Apple has continued to update the ever-popular iMac with new hardware, most recently with the M4 chip, new color options, a 12-megapixel camera with Center Stage and Desk View, and a nano-texture display option.

Microsoft's decision to discontinue the Surface Studio line could leave a void in the Windows all-in-one market. While companies like HP and Lenovo continue to produce all-in-one PCs, none match the Surface Studio's combination of touch capabilities, drafting-table functionality, and premium design.

Article Link: Microsoft Discontinues iMac Rival Surface Studio 2+

 

[techyOS]

used to be a microsoft fan, and i thought the surface studio was a really cool concept and product, was probably brilliant for artists, to be able to draw on that massive screen, and use the surface dial in tandem. sad to see it discontinued.

 

[abatabia]

There is no comparing to the iMac, so this isn’t much of a shock. I still miss my 2015 27” sometimes.

 

[Pezimak]

At the time it was a very innovative product. And it had one of the best adverts I’ve seen:

When I see these in films etc they look a lot cooler then anything else.

 

[mrgrdn]

When the Surface Studio was launched, I was amazed by what Microsoft had created. However, less than a week after the presentation, there was no marketing to be found. There was nothing targeted at the average consumer ... just some on-site demonstrations and similar efforts, but that was it. Microsoft is to blame for this lack of attention, and oddly enough, they just don’t seem to learn. Even the Surface Duo received no love from Microsoft.

 

[timber]

Never knew anyone using PCs that liked AIOs. Most even hate it with passion.

 

[mrgrdn]

At the time it was a very innovative product. And it had one of the best adverts I’ve seen:

When I see these in films etc they look a lot cooler then anything else.

On the day of the Surface Studio presentation, this was only a video for this event, no actual advertising.

 

[Mactech20]

I feel like anyone that would buy a PC would just buy a Mini or a tower. Who would buy an AIO? Also Apple has a pretty tight grip on the art industry. Tough sell when its a 3K starting point and most artists I know use Wacom with a Mac.

 

[Harry Haller]

used to be a microsoft fan, and i thought the surface studio was a really cool concept and product, was probably brilliant for artists, to be able to draw on that massive screen, and use the surface dial in tandem. sad to see it discontinued.

Abandonware, unfortunately.
Was hoping MS would upgrade it and compete with Wacom.
Price, terrible marketing and old, lagging components doomed it.

 

[guzhogi]

used to be a microsoft fan, and i thought the surface studio was a really cool concept and product, was probably brilliant for artists, to be able to draw on that massive screen, and use the surface dial in tandem. sad to see it discontinued.

At the time it was a very innovative product. And it had one of the best adverts I’ve seen:

I agree. Very cool concept it. Definitely wish Apple would do something like it with the iMac.

One issue I had, that the article stated, was how the hardware (eg CPU/GPU) was fairly out of date. One thing I wish they'd do is add at least one internal, user-upgradeable SSD slot in it, in addition to any builtin storage.That way, users could upgrade their storage without having to clutter up their desk or buy a whole new computer. I doubt Apple would do that since users would just buy low builtin storage, and then get a big 3rd party SSD for a lot cheaper.

 

[coffeemilktea]

there is likely no successor to the Studio 2+ planned.

I'm not surprised the product line didn't work out, considering how underwhelming the specs were compared to how high the price was...

...but man, that thing looked SO good. 😩

 

[Pezimak]

On the day of the Surface Studio presentation, this was only a video for this event, no actual advertising.

Yeah they didn’t help themselves. Advertising has never been Microsoft’s strong point.

It was an amazing device, very clever, and looked futuristic with that puck thing on the screen, it truly made the iMac look dull. They just failed to invest in it or market it.

 

[KSB]

Loved the concept and when I saw it introduced back in the days, I really wish Apple would bring something similiar to the table with their experience from the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil. Would have bought a iMac/iPad like device in a heartbeath, if it had the Apple Silicone powering it and a large scale display to draw on (larger than 13")

 

[JanoschR]

No surprise here. Although I loved the idea.

 

[Big_D]

used to be a microsoft fan, and i thought the surface studio was a really cool concept and product, was probably brilliant for artists, to be able to draw on that massive screen, and use the surface dial in tandem. sad to see it discontinued.

The problem was, the internals didn't match the screen, it was underpowered and the original version was tarred by a spinning rust drive as standard, instead of an SSD! Creatives, who this was aimed at, generally need powerful internals, so not being able to keep them up to date was a missed opportunity.

I think it would have done better if it had been a display that you could plug into a Thunderbolt or USB-C port, the PC side would be quickly outdated, whilst the display side would probably last 4-5 times as long. Having it as a glorified "docking station", where you plug-in a compute module would have been so cool & when the old internals are too slow, you just unplug the compute box and slap in a new, faster box.

It is also the reason why I learned to hate my iMac. It was a lovely piece of design, all integrated, just 2 cables (power & network). Perfect... For 2-3 years, after which it became slow and in year 4 Apple dropped support like a hot potato, I was left with a lovely screen that couldn't be connected to anything and compute internals that were too slow & too dangerous (no security patches) to use.

 

[matsan]

No surprise there, buying Microsoft hardware is like buying milk on a hot summer day - the bottle will likely go sour before you get home.
(Yes, still bitter after buying the 1st gen Surface when it was released in EU in May 2013 only to have it discontinued in October same year and having the power-brick replaced like four times before they ran out of stock).

 

[msackey]

Abandonware, unfortunately.
Was hoping MS would upgrade it and compete with Wacom.
Price, terrible marketing and old, lagging components doomed it.

Abandonware indeed!

It is this cycle of creating a new product line then in very short order not supporting it at all that really kinda infuriates me. So much electronic waste. And also such a waste of resources for those who did migrate to using this product and creating a whole new workflow. I'm not one of them, but it still infuriates me when the support for this was only 8 years, long enough for folks to think the product line/idea will be supported for a much longer time to start investing in the workflow. Alas, they have been abandoned.

 

[msackey]

No surprise there, buying Microsoft hardware is like buying milk on a hot summer day - the bottle will likely go sour before you get home.
(Yes, still bitter after buying the 1st gen Surface when it was released in EU in May 2013 only to have it discontinued in October same year and having the power-brick replaced like four times before they ran out of stock).

Totally understandable. Seems like there are many of these kinds of products including Windows Phone, yet another ecosystem that has been abandoned.

 

[Slix]

I forgot this even existed. I looked up the price to see what it was going for up till now, and it was $4,499 for the whole package? No wonder it didn't have many sales.

 

[satchmo]

And if Apple had released a similar type iMac that had the same functionality, it would probably have sold in the millions.

Not sure if it has to do with marketing, or it being perceived as uncool to use MS hardware. It certainly seems to be the case in creative industries.

 

[JOLoughlin]

The display and hinge mechanism should have been separate from the computer. Because the computer was always with old components especially considering the price.

 

[matttarantino]

Watch Apple copy this and re-release it. iMac Pro when?

 

[JesperA]

I really really wished they would have released it as a standalone display instead, releasing it, sometimes with 2 generation old hardware was crazy. I loved everything about the monitor itself, the aspect ratio was amazing for the way i work/workflow

Such a missed opportunity,i am 100% sure a standalone monitor would have sold so much better than the combo

 

[MacBirdy]

I remember seeing Apple patents with a similar design. I think MS based their product on those ideas.
In practise, it looks less easy and versatile to use than the iPad when it comes to touch and drawing.

 

[guzhogi]

The problem was, the internals didn't match the screen, it was underpowered and the original version was tarred by a spinning rust drive as standard, instead of an SSD! Creatives, who this was aimed at, generally need powerful internals, so not being able to keep them up to date was a missed opportunity.

I think it would have done better if it had been a display that you could plug into a Thunderbolt or USB-C port, the PC side would be quickly outdated, whilst the display side would probably last 4-5 times as long. Having it as a glorified "docking station", where you plug-in a compute module would have been so cool & when the old internals are too slow, you just unplug the compute box and slap in a new, faster box.

It is also the reason why I learned to hate my iMac. It was a lovely piece of design, all integrated, just 2 cables (power & network). Perfect... For 2-3 years, after which it became slow and in year 4 Apple dropped support like a hot potato, I was left with a lovely screen that couldn't be connected to anything and compute internals that were too slow & too dangerous (no security patches) to use.

I don't think that an AIO and an external monitor are necessarily mutually exclusive products. Why not offer both? An AIO for those who want the integrated, 1-2 cable existence, and a monitor for those who don't mind extra cords, but want to be able to upgrade individual components.

I find that integration is a double edged sword. On the one hand, it makes things a lot more organized, thinner, perhaps more powerful. On the other hand, if one component fails/becomes obsolete, you have to replace the whole thing.