Microsoft Debuts $999 Surface Laptop, 'Streamlined' Windows 10 S, and More at Education Event

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Microsoft today unveiled an all-new "Surface Laptop," a student- and teacher-focused Windows 10 S, new features for Minecraft: Education Edition, a new Surface Arc Mouse, and more at an education-focused event in New York. The hardware reveal of the Surface Laptop marks the first major computer launch for the company since last year's debut of the Surface Book and Surface Studio, the former of which saw huge sales numbers thanks to churn from the "disappointment" of the 2016 MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, according to Microsoft.

When compared to the Surface Book's unique reversible hinge, the just-announced Surface Laptop is more traditionally built with a clamshell design and four color options: burgundy, platinum, cobalt blue, and graphite gold. Microsoft is aiming the Surface Laptop at the grade school and college education market, but the laptop will still be purchasable by all users on Microsoft's store, starting at $999 for the Intel Core i5 version with 4GB RAM and 128GB of SSD storage.

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In terms of specs, the Surface Laptop includes a PixelSense Display touchscreen with a resolution of 2256 x 1504 that measures 13.5 inches on the diagonal, made with edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 3. USB-C is not found on the Surface Laptop, but ports otherwise included are: USB, an SD card slot, mini DisplayPort, and a traditional charging port. The laptop will have a battery life that lasts for around 14.5 hours.

The Surface Laptop weighs 2.76 lbs and is 14.47mm at its thickest point, which Microsoft said is unmatched by any of its rivals' laptops. In comparison, the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar weighs 3 lbs and is 14.9mm thick. The keyboard section of the Surface Laptop is covered in the same Alcantara material used by the Surface Pro 4 keyboard, and resists spills and is easy to clean, according to the company.
We built Surface Laptop to do two things: refresh the classic laptop form factor that our customers, especially college students, have been asking for; and make a Surface that works seamlessly to showcase the best of Windows 10 S.

The result is the most personal and balanced Surface we've ever made. This Surface perfectly blends fabric and function, power and portability, beauty and performance. It does all of this without compromising on the things we know are important to higher education students: battery life, display quality, storage, and portability.
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Microsoft's new Windows 10 S operating system comes installed on the computer and is said to provide "superior performance" on laptops at the lower end of the hardware spectrum. Windows 10 S is a walled garden OS, allowing only approved applications from the Windows Store to be downloaded on the system while also cutting down on some Windows 10 features to provide streamlined security and performance.


Microsoft said that these features are expected to come in handy for teachers in classrooms who need regulations on the computers and applications with which their students interact. Windows 10 S will be making it onto a variety of hardware devices, not just the Surface Laptop, including laptops from HP, Dell and Acer. These devices will come in much cheaper than Microsoft's first-party laptop as well, expected to range from $189 to $300.

Microsoft's EDU event also saw the announcement of new features for Minecraft: Education Edition, which will be gaining a new "Code Builder" tool that will allow students to connect to popular learn-to-code platforms to build impressive structures within the game. During the presentation, Microsoft gave a few examples of projects that students have already begun working on using Code Builder in Minecraft, including a Liberal Arts teacher tasking her class with reconstructing Shakespeare's Globe Theater.

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Other details of the event include Microsoft Teams, which will let students and teachers collaborate on projects in a chat room, new 3D and mixed reality initiatives, and updated device management software for teachers. A new $79.99 Surface Arc Mouse was also announced today, and is aimed to be a "travel companion" for any Surface device, including the Surface Laptop. The mouse supports Bluetooth 4.0, houses two buttons, and is designed with a travel-friendly, bendable tail.

Pre-orders for the Surface Laptop will begin today, and the device is said to begin shipping on June 15. Configurations on the laptop will go all the way up to an i7 processor with 16GB RAM and 512GB of SSD storage. For a recap of Microsoft's EDU event, check out a highlight video that the company posted to its YouTube channel, as well as a design-focused overview of how Microsoft engineers crafted the Surface Laptop.

Article Link: Microsoft Debuts $999 Surface Laptop, 'Streamlined' Windows 10 S, and More at Education Event
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/05/02/microsoft-surface-laptop-education/
This particular product may not appeal to me, however there is absolutely no denying that Microsoft has been killing it over the last few years. Props to them!

Edit: Surprised they're going for this approach again with 10 S, considering how hard Windows RT flopped.
 
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MacFather -- Steve was right only if the touchscreen is your sole input device. I also used to mock them, but then after having PCs with it, I find myself stabbing the screen of my 12" Macbook (the only Apple device I've owned that I've despised) only to have nothing happen.

As for this new Surface Laptop -- it is beautiful (at least from promo videos). But it's a "meh" for me. Especially at that price point.
 
Hardware looks great. No USB-C seems odd.

New OS: ridiculous. More cluttered BS. Make one OS, MS.

StrangeNoises said:
Looks good...

...wait... cut down version of the OS? I can't install Chrome? Sublime? I have to presumably buy a full version of Windows at Retail price?

... no HiDPI screen?

Ah well. It started out interesting.
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$49 one time fee to upgrade out of Windows S to a full version of Windows 10. But they won't guarantee the performance and battery life when running non windows store apps.
 
Wait, it doesn't even have full Windows 10? If I'm already spending $1000 why not spend $100 more and then get a refurbished 12 inch 2016 MacBook? You get twice the RAM and twice the storage, plus a full OS (that id prefer to windows) that also can run full windows if you so desire. Far superior display, too.
 
Jack Burton said:
Hardware looks great. No USB-C seems odd.

New OS: ridiculous. More cluttered BS. Make one OS, MS.



$49 one time fee to upgrade out of Windows S to a full version of Windows 10. But they won't guarantee the performance and battery life when running non windows store apps.
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Pro upgrade is also free until the end of the year.

$999 sounds like a great deal until you see you get a lousy 4GB RAM and the 8GB option adds $300 to the price.

The i7 models are $1599 for 8GB RAM and it costs $2199 to take this to 16GB RAM.

In reality, these are very expensive systems lumbered with Windows as your operating system
 
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