Microsoft Says Its New Surface Book 2 is Twice as Powerful as Latest MacBook Pro

[guzhogi]

I really wish Apple would bring touchscreens to its Mac line. Do it right, and I bet a lot of creative professionals would come back. Plus, look at Apple's push into AR. Why can't they do that with touchscreens on Macs as well? I'm getting into digital photography and drawing, and would love something like the Surface Studio, but with macOS & a better graphics card.

 

[Zwhaler]

Impressive... but there's no way I could deal with Windows anymore. I've tried many times on work computers, and it still sucks as much as I remember from when I switched 11 years ago.

 

[emulajavi]

WOW!

This is the way Apple videos used to impress you!

 

[ackmondual]

You must not have used OS X much then, because once you learn it, it's a hundred times easier all around. Quickly get to apps, browse, find stuff, troubleshoot, etc.

I'm convinced that most of the people bashing on Windows 10 have never given it a fair shot.
Likewise, I'm also convinced that most of the people bashing OSX haven't given it it's fair shake either.

 

[BornAgainMac]

I want it.

 

[macs4nw]

Didn't this crowd rip CR for being biased, on the dole, etc when they gave a less-than-great review of a MB Pro not long ago? Why is CR only right when they find fault with competitor offerings? (disclaimer: I'm a big fan of trusting CR reviews & ratings myself)

Similarly, why are analysts stupid only when they are not gushing praise and/or ranking Apple #1 in some report?

Why do specs not matter when Apple stuff does not have the best specs... but when Apple does win some spec contest, then they do matter at that time?

Why are market share reports biased or just wrong when Apple is not rated #1 but then quoted & referenced when Apple is #1?

And why is patent law broken when it's working AGAINST Apple but key to protecting intellectual capital when it's working FOR Apple?

Somehow & some way, I think all this goes together. Can anyone connect the dots?

Aren't rhetorical questions amusing lol
Thankfully, unbiased and purely objective reporting excludes blind allegiance, and any degree of blatant fanaticism.

 

[groove-agent]

Compelling.

 

[Applebot1]

Nice machine just can’t live with Windows.

 

[routine_analyst]

Hell yes! Microsoft! That advertisement was beautiful!
One might suggest that the company is coming back to life.

 

[GuruZac]

Sounds awesome. But it runs Windows...

[Actually, Windows isn't half too bad these days ]

Precisely. It’s nice hardware handicapped by Microsoft software. I’d rather have a MacBook Pro and an iPad Pro. For what it’s worth, the more I’ve dug in to iOS 11 on my iPad Pro the more I appreciate what Apple is doing with the iPad and the software.

 

[BWhaler]

17 hour battery life?

Wow.

This is the type of feature which should make Apple worry. This is the type of innovation we care about. Not just thinner for thinner”s sake or less ports because they look better in Jonny”s lab and on product shots.

Batttery length that long means you truly will get a full day of use, including high CPU work. Not a 10 hour claim with 5-8 hours in reality, as the current MacBook Pro’s do.

Well done Microsoft. (I can’t beloeve I wrote that)

 

[avanpelt]

But you still have to run a dogs breakfast of an OS on it.

Have you actually used Windows 10? Windows has improved markedly.

Microsoft had a long way to go after the Windows 8 debacle, and they seem to have their head screwed on straight and are heading in a better direction now.

I use Windows 10 in a VM everyday and it’s every bit as stable as macOS Sierra and macOS High Sierra, in my experience.

 

[cicalinarrot]

That stupid hinge is the only thing people remember this PC for but it just makes no sense. The obvious solution was somthing like the Zenbook flip, same funcionality, takes much less space.

 

[GuruZac]

Hell yes! Microsoft! That advertisement was beautiful!
One might suggest that the company is coming back to life.

That is a fantastic, I have to agree. They look mighty impressive. Cool remix on an old classic tune as well

 

[MH01]

Let's see if they can provide a version at around £4450 , with dongles

 

[Marx55]

Apple should make a Mac tablet.

 

[AJ5790]

Well, complainers, please do us all a favor, and switch to windows. That way you can start visiting windows rumors sites and complain there instead.

Thanks,
The Silent Supermajority of satisfied Apple customers

 

[jclardy]

It seems to get 16GB of RAM you go from $1500->$2500. Of course you get an actual decent GPU and CPU upgrade for that...but seems they lack "low-end" configuration options. I think the integrated GPU model is just there so their display price is "Starting at $1499" versus "Starting at $2499".

 

[Jetfire]

Wow RIP macbook pro.....this is how you innovate and make a amazing looking device. The 15 inch use to be a dream and now it's here.............

This would be true if it was able to take 32GB of ram. I'm still using my early 2011 15 Macbook Pro with 16GB of ram. I may have to go to iMac or iMac pro. Or maybe just go back to Windows and built my own.

 

[MH01]

I’m surprised people aren’t complaining about the bezels as there are other Windows laptops with much smaller bezels. I get why Microsoft can only compare to Apple but the tech media doesn’t. Why aren’t they comparing to other Windows laptops?

Remember the time where you could complain about many many issues with a windows laptop ......bezels eh? Times getting tough buddy

 

[rgeneral]

We have a ton of these at work and almost all of them have hardware issues. Hopefully Book 2 has fixed these...

this is why we dropped all surface laptop/books. it was an overpriced windows machine. we went back to lenovo/dell.

 

[HurtinMinorKey]

Looks to me like the same price as their MBP counterparts. Does that mean we can stop bitching about Apple's prices being too high?

Except the Surface Book is far superior up and down the spec sheet. So if anything, it proves that Apple's prices are too high.

 

[pkissel]

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I was going back and forth between a new Macbook Pro & a Surface Laptop for work in the past few weeks. I would've bought the Surface Book 2 over the Macbook Pro without a doubt. I guess since I spec'd out my Macbook Pro & it's shipping from China I can't return it now though.

I believe Apple has a 2 week return window no questions asked. Best to take it to an Apple store to deal with the return.

With that said, I wouldn't trust the Apple's Surface quite yet. There have been a high number of hardware problems in previous revs and also ultimately I think you'll have less longer term hassles sticking with Apple. I used to run only Windows but had to develop for Mac and so made the switch. Since then I've gone through 2 maxed out MacBook Pros (2008 an 2012) in the last 10 years. They work REALLY well. OS upgrades are a no hassle affair. I haven't had to deal with a driver issue or upgrade hiccup in all of the time. My 2008 is now being used by my teenager for her school work and I'm still doing production development on the 2012 (typing on it now) model. Just waiting to upgrade when I think Intel has released the next big Tock that makes it worthwhile.

Don't misunderstand me. The specs on this device sound great! If it was all down to specs this laptop would win. On first blush I look at those specs and tell myself I'd love to have all of that memory, GPU, and even a few legacy ports in my MacBook Pro.

But Apple doesn't compete on specs I've learned. They design the hardware (phone and computer) around their target market and delivery a pretty good experience for that group. Until recently that meant if you want to be a gamer Apple is not your place (its looking hopeful). If you think you need gobs of memory than Apple is not your place. Same for other specs. The truth is because they control the software and hardware completely you don't need super hardware specs to have a great experience with them. This is the same reason why Apple doesn't try or need to cram a lot of memory into the iPhone. They compete on the overall experience and include the hardware they need to to hit their goals.

I just don't believe Microsoft will deliver the overall positive experience that I have on my MacBook Pros.

My 2 cents.

 

[Kabeyun]

What does “powerful” mean? Amps it draws? CPU megahertz? Cores? Something to do with Geekbench? Battery life? Colors it comes in? Enpowerment of the user? Which of these, or others, is most relevant? During the megahertz wars of the 90s, a Macintosh’s CPU was almost always outclocked by an HP or a Dell, and invariably provided a better user experience. It also usually felt quicker because of how well integrated software & hardware (and, now, mobile devices via Handoff) were. Specs, as always, mean only a little unless you’re the marketing department.

Edit: Forgot about pixels. Gotta have lots of pixels or it isn’t powerful.

 

[nsayer]

[Actually, Windows isn't half too bad these days ]

No. It's not half bad. It's all the way bad.