Microsoft Discontinues iMac Rival Surface Studio 2+

[guzhogi]

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

I'd prefer having both as an option: an AIO for those who don't want the clutter of extra cables, and an external monitor for those who want to upgrade the computer without ditching the screen (or vice versa).

One question I just thought of: how much power does the monitor itself need? With some USB-C/Thunderbolt cords capable of carrying up to 240w of power, could the computer power the monitor? Obviously would prefer desktop computer rather than a mobile device with a battery, but would be useful to just have one cable for video, touch input data, and power. I've seen some large touchscreen displays that can power laptops, though but only up to like 60w.

 

[MayaUser]

Apple in 2025 announce 30" imac, Microsoft a year later announce a new surface studio

 

[Haiku_Oezu]

Shocking, Flabbergasting even.

 

[scorpio vega]

I’m largely in the apple world these days but I love my surface studio more than my iMac.

I don’t use it much these days but it was and still is a beast.

 

[mthomas184]

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.

I am leaning towards marketing. After it was announced, I forgot it even existed 2 months later.

 

[XboxEvolved]

That’s a shame. I seriously considered buying one at a point but yeah the price.

 

[subjonas]

I was surprised when Microsoft came out with the Surface Studio so I’m not surprised it’s discontinued, although it is sad as it was a nice product that seemed like a lot of thought and effort went into.
Being a drawing device required it to have more complicated and expensive hardware, which drove up the price, so those who didn’t draw were probably driven away, and for those who did draw, there were other challenges. It’s a smaller market and macOS and Wacom have a very strong positions in that market, so the Surface Studio would have needed to offer something extremely compelling or at a compelling price to make a significant dent, which it wasn’t able to do. But on top of that challenge, I think going with an AIO made it even harder—and a 3x AIO at that being a computer/screen/drawing tablet combined. I think most professional artists and studios appreciate modularity in their desktop setups (as opposed to mobile workstations), where conserving space is not the highest priority (not to mention the convertible Surface Studio still required quite a bit of space) but being able to upgrade the computer or drawing tablet screen as needed is higher priority. Plus many use multiple screens anyway.
Microsoft probably would have had better success with their AIO desktop if they left the drawing aspect out of it and made a non-drawing/touch AIO, and like Apple left the drawing screen to 3rd party companies like Wacom. Or maybe they could have made a first party drawing screen but separate and optional.
They do have a strong position in the AIO mobile computer/drawing tablet screen space though, as an AIO makes more functional sense there, and Apple doesn’t offer that except with iPad which doesn’t run desktop applications.

 

[jclardy]

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.

Yes, honestly rivals Apple's best ads, I still remember seeing that for the first time. The visuals are crazy, the music and sound design are great, and the product still looks like something from the future in 2024 - and this thing came out in 2016.

Granted - the actual product was extremely expensive and had terrible performance, but the hinge/display/touch/pen input was really ahead of its time. We are almost 10 years later and Apple still refuses even the slightest hint of macOS getting a touchscreen. And wouldn't dare to try and make an iPadOS based desktop. Apple users must continue to live in two separate worlds.

 

[theluggage]

Microsoft probably would have had better success with their AIO desktop if they left the drawing aspect out of it and made a non-drawing/touch AIO, and like Apple left the drawing screen to 3rd party companies like Wacom.

Except the drawing aspect was the "unique selling point" of the Surface Studio... the "competition" they were aiming at would have been a Mac plus a large Wacom Cintiq (?) display/drawing tablet, which would have been in the same price bracket.

The problem was that right from the start, the display may have been stunning but the CPU/GPU and other specs were way below par - and even made Macs look like a bargain.

Microsoft are/were in an awkward position w.r.t. hardware (although it may be changing now as they move towards being a "services" company) - a major cash cow for them is/was selling Windows licenses to third-party PC manufacturers or their users and they can't afford to tick off those manufacturers too much by competing with them on PC sales. The Surface range has always had a sort of "concept car" feel to it - existing more as a showcase product for Windows - & trying to show that PCs could be more like Macs - than an attempt to get into volume PC sales. The Surface range has always been what you quote on MacRumors if you're trying to convince people that Macs aren't expensive

I did, actually, briefly have a Surface Book (the laptop with the detachable tablet section) but it turned out to have an inherent fault ("Sleep of Death") and I returned it. Apart from that (Mrs Lincoln...) I really liked it - the screen was excellent, the keyboard and trackpad almost up to Mac standards (well, at that moment, better because it was the time of the butterfly keyboard fiasco) and the price just as "reassuringly expensive" as the Mac... I was actively starting to switch back to PC until it bricked itself & got returned.

 

[guzhogi]

I am leaning towards marketing. After it was announced, I forgot it even existed 2 months later.

Marketing plus how the CPU/GPU and other hardware was out of date by a bit.

 

[Timpetus]

I'm just trying to figure out who the leftie artist is that leaves their stylus on the right... shouldn't both the mouse and stylus be to the same side of the keyboard?

 

[klasma]

I was always hoping for that display panel to become available separately as a monitor. In terms of aspect ratio and resolution, it was in a class of it’s own, and apparently exclusively manufactured for the Surface Studio. Which probably helps explaining the latter’s price, but it’s stupid.

 

[Jean Claude]

The overall design of this machine was stunning (minus those massive bezels). I'm kinda surprised Apple hasn't introduced anything with a similar design language ... at the very least some type of monitor that plugs into a Studio.

 

[Darth Tulhu]

That thing, as shown in the ad, still looks like something from the future. One of the coolest computers I've ever seen.

It's a shame Apple did not do anything like this, but I guess that's what the iPad Pro is for (in their eyes, at least).

And Microsoft, being Microsoft, undercooked it and ignored it, and so did the target audience.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

I feel it was doomed from the start with the laptop components they used. Had it had proper workstation power, maybe it would have been more accepted in the market it was aimed at.

Thus far, none of the Surface products have really impressed me. They seem like good ideas, but there’s always a fatal flaw. We have Surface Hubs at work, for example, and while they seem really cool, they just don’t work that well. They are slow and laggy, which should be rather easy to overcome with better hardware, but that doesn’t appear to be on MS’s radar. As a consequence, they are only used as a video chat tool for Teams meetings.

 

[mthomas184]

Marketing plus how the CPU/GPU and other hardware was out of date by a bit.

Yeah this is very true

 

[Harry Haller]

Yes, honestly rivals Apple's best ads, I still remember seeing that for the first time. The visuals are crazy, the music and sound design are great, and the product still looks like something from the future in 2024 - and this thing came out in 2016.

Granted - the actual product was extremely expensive and had terrible performance, but the hinge/display/touch/pen input was really ahead of its time. We are almost 10 years later and Apple still refuses even the slightest hint of macOS getting a touchscreen. And wouldn't dare to try and make an iPadOS based desktop. Apple users must continue to live in two separate worlds.

To sell twice as many products.
I’m not criticizing, it’s in their own best interest.
It’s just a shame Apple won’t relent and give some of their customers a device they would like.
Imagine the Apple version of Surface Studio powered by Apple Silicon.
Instead of wasting 10 years and $10B on the Apple Edsel.

 

[falainber]

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+

Microsoft's decision to discontinue the Surface Studio line could leave a void in the Windows all-in-one market.
Well, Apple has exactly the same void. In fact, considering Windows offerings, Apple line up consists mostly of voids.

 

[Unity451]

...a tale as old as time.

 

[ProbablyDylan]

These things were cool. Seeing one at the Microsoft store the first time (remember those?) was fun, playing with the dial and pretending to be an artist. All cool concepts, all well thought out, but no adoption.

 

[I WAS the one]

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.

I was among the few who fell for the hype and decided to purchase it, only to find that, as with many of Microsoft's products, it fell short of my expectations. Eventually, a family member took it over, using it as a standard PC and occasionally utilizing the touchscreen to navigate the web.

 

[Vulkan]

Cool idea, poor execution. Starting with the OS being completely unfit to carry something like this.
Another one bites the dust.

 

[9081094]

The Microsoft studio should have been made by Apple with a touchsensitive MacOS. You can blame Microsoft for not giving the studio any love. The same story for the iMac 27 inch. When Apple revamps the iMac 27 inch, it’s too little too late.

I hope Apple will make a seperate Apple display that is affordable and matches the look and feel of the Mac mini/studio.

 

[justperry]

Seems like most hardware products Microsoft had/has are garbage or not user friendly.

Problem with this product wasn’t hardware, it’s running windows.

Multiple BSOD crashes occurred on multiple computers after the 2H2024 update, stupid thing is…companies accept that kind of garbage.

 

[JDHiro]

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.

I worked at Microsoft for 11 years. There isn’t a lot of career benefit or advancement to be had at Microsoft for supporting an existing project. You pretty much have to constantly burn what exists and launch something completely new to justify your work impact, and once something ships the people who did it tend to jump ship to the next “new” thing. That’s why you see products get launched, abandoned, replaced over and over again.

This same cultural trait ended up at Google too. Somehow Apple has done a better job launching less but standing by what they offer.