Microsoft unveils Surface Book laptop & Surface Pro 4 tablet with new Surface Pen

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  • Reply 81 of 251

    It's 1.6 for the clipboard part and when you add the base with the discrete gpu card, the weight is about 3.5 lbs. The same as the Macbook 13". Although the Macbook 13" doesn't have a discrete card.

  • Reply 82 of 251



    How will that keep from crushing in a backpack?

  • Reply 83 of 251
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by PScooter63 View Post

     

    Battery life estimates are conspicuously absent.




    According to Wired, MS said that the Surface Book will get 12 hours of battery with keyboard attached and 3 hours of battery without the keyboard. So, in other words, making the screen detachable was largely pointless.

     

    http://www.wired.com/2015/10/microsofts-surface-book-looks-like-ultimate-hybrid-pc/

  • Reply 84 of 251
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,453member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by rgmonkey View Post

     

    It's 1.6 for the clipboard part and when you add the base with the discrete gpu card, the weight is about 3.5 lbs. The same as the Macbook 13". Although the Macbook 13" doesn't have a discrete card.


    Mac Book is a little over 2 pounds. You are speaking of the Mac Book Air 13" at just under 3 pounds. 

     

    iPad Pro is 1.59 pound.

     

    This is the problem that I see MS not solving; they have (almost) no mobile products to compete with iOS. The Surface line really competes with Mac Book, Mac Book Air, and Mac Book Pro. The Surface fails in competition with a pure tablet like the iPad; too fiddly and weighed down by desktop OS overhead.

     

    Sure, some people will latch on to the Surface in lieu of an iPad Pro, but I also think that the iPad is going places that the Surface isn't going to be successful in.

  • Reply 85 of 251
    solipsismysolipsismy Posts: 5,099member
    portcity wrote: »
    The A9x faster then an Intel Skylake based i-Series 5 or 7 chip? Lol. Not a chance. If the A9x was remotely close in speed then Apple would be using it instead of Intel because it is less expensive and further increase profit margins.

    1) ¿Que? I said value.

    2) Apple's A-series are Apple specifically balancing performance, features and power efficiency, which is something MS can't do with an Intel chip; all MS can do is choose from Intel's options. This is why, Apple has the A9 for their iPhone 6S-series and then also developed the faster and more robust A9X with double the memory bandwidth for the iPad Pro. That should tell you that if Apple wanted to create a faster A-series chip (or even call it something like M-series) for the Mac with a higher performance and higher TDP they could do that.

    pscooter63 wrote: »
    [SIZE=16px]Battery life estimates are conspicuously absent.[/SIZE]

    12 hours for video playback, which we can assume means with the keyboard battery connected, playing local video, that is using H.264 at probably no more than 1080p with a medium profile.

    runbuh wrote: »

    3.34lb for both parts of the Surface Book. Don't be fooled by their use of "mobile" which will not get you the 12 hours they state.
  • Reply 86 of 251
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by LordJohnWhorfin View Post



    The hardware is actually kinda nice. The biggest problem is Windows and "Metro" or whatever it is they call it these days. The thing is maddening. One of the biggest benefits of these tablets is supposed to be backwards compatibility with existing Windows software, yeah, good luck using Word or Visual Studio on that small screen with 267dpi.

     

    Well, Windows 10 actually scales correctly on high DPI screens. I can comfortably use Visual Studio on the Surface Pro 3, and it correctly scales independently to external monitors too.

  • Reply 87 of 251
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member

    Some extra info in this video:

     

    image 

     

    Despite the gap, I really like the look of that hinge and the lock with the tablet.

  • Reply 88 of 251
    macplusplusmacplusplus Posts: 2,115member
    I don't get it.. Which is the toaster part? Since Nvidia sits under the keyboard, that should be the toaster part but then the detached screen is too decent to look like a fridge...

    Can someone explain it please?
  • Reply 89 of 251
    aluopaluop Posts: 57member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by auxio View Post

     



    I wouldn't exactly call this elegant...

     


     

    Maybe it's for you to put the pen in there :)

  • Reply 90 of 251
    fallenjtfallenjt Posts: 4,056member
    apple ][ wrote: »

    Holy crap! That looks ridiculous! :lol:
    "dynamic fulcrum hinge" my asd
  • Reply 91 of 251
    When I first read this, I was concerned for the iPad Pro. Then, I realized:

    - It's made BY Microsoft.
    - It runs Windows.

    Then I felt better :-)
  • Reply 92 of 251
    entropysentropys Posts: 4,267member
    Looks like the surface 4 still doesn't have a SIM card and GPS, can't see any reference to it. Surprised if that is the case.

    You guys are looking at this from a personal purchase perspective. I know my corporate IT people are aggressively pushing surface tablets to replace iPads. They want to be MS only. There are many government and corporate IT types like that.
  • Reply 93 of 251
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,453member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ALUOp View Post

     

     

    Maybe it's for you to put the pen in there :)


    Lot of holes in the edge; I'm guessing that's for cooling...

  • Reply 94 of 251
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    larrya wrote: »
    Irrelevant. We were discussing why a thin, light product from MS might be judged differently from one by Apple. I've never seen complaints about obsessive thinness when it comes to MBP.

    nope. you were comparing this to the MB, when you said this:
    How many ports did Microsoft provide? One USB-C? That's the difference - when form is prioritized over function.

    ...which doesn't make sense since the MB with its one USB-C port is Apple's ultra portable, not their pro notebook. so your attempt to prop up MS by saying they include more ports is....nonsense.
  • Reply 95 of 251
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sog35 View Post

     

    Funny how the video never shows the device completely shut for longer than a split second in its profile view.


    Funny?  How often does Apple spend in showcase videos showing MacBooks closed?  Actually I'd say Microsoft spend quite a long time on the hinge and showing the lid close completely.

  • Reply 96 of 251
    Definitely like what Microsoft is doing again. Been years since they were relevant. The Surface line is very nice - as finally is Windows as well with Windows 10. Apple fanboys cannot like anything that Microsoft does. I'm fully a Mac as well, but like the new attention to design and usability from Microsoft. This is good for Apple, Microsoft and me as a consumer of technology.

    Well done Microsoft!
  • Reply 97 of 251
    nolamacguynolamacguy Posts: 4,758member
    crowley wrote: »
    Some extra info in this video:

    <iframe width="640" height="385" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/XVfOe5mFbAE" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>

    even the ad is an apple ripoff. and where have I seen a mirrored silver logo before? oh yeah, the back of my iPad.
  • Reply 98 of 251
    solipsismy wrote: »
    portcity wrote: »
    The A9x faster then an Intel Skylake based i-Series 5 or 7 chip? Lol. Not a chance. If the A9x was remotely close in speed then Apple would be using it instead of Intel because it is less expensive and further increase profit margins.

    1) ¿Que? I said value.

    2) Apple's A-series are Apple specifically balancing performance, features and power efficiency, which is something MS can't do with an Intel chip; all MS can do is choose from Intel's options. This is why, Apple has the A9 for their iPhone 6S-series and then also developed the faster and more robust A9X with double the memory bandwidth for the iPad Pro. That should tell you that if Apple wanted to create a faster A-series chip (or even call it something like M-series) for the Mac with a higher performance and higher TDP they could do that.

    pscooter63 wrote: »
    [SIZE=16px]Battery life estimates are conspicuously absent.[/SIZE]

    12 hours for video playback, which we can assume means with the keyboard battery connected, playing local video, that is using H.264 at probably no more than 1080p with a medium profile.

    runbuh wrote: »

    3.34lb for both parts of the Surface Book. Don't be fooled by their use of "mobile" which will not get you the 12 hours they state.

    A more accurate name for this device is Caveats.
  • Reply 99 of 251

    Arguing about battery life, price, processor power, that hinge and all the rest is kind of pointless.

     

    The real issue is there's virtually no useful software that is actually touch optimized for Windows. Oh sure, people use the terms "touch enabled" or talk about how Microsoft has made it easy to create universal Apps that run on desktop, tablet or phones, but they don't seem to understand the difference.

     

    Just because an App can run on a tablet, and has a few touch enabled controls, doesn't automatically make it a touch optimized App. Developers simply aren't taking time to modify their Apps, which makes a Surface a useless device as a tablet. Hell, Microsoft is having a hard time getting devs to modify for high DPI displays.

  • Reply 100 of 251
    nikon133nikon133 Posts: 2,600member
    auxio wrote: »
    Yeah, I was baffled by this too.  If it was just trying to be a laptop, then I'd say it has pretty decent specs for the price.  But then they throw in a stylus and make the screen detachable (at the expense of graphics performance, which is exactly what's needed for a fluid stylus experience in drawing apps).  That's where they lost me with it.

    I have been using Surface Pro 3 with stylus and it is really fluid; I don't think that SB will have any issues here in tablet mode. Integrated GPUs have involved enough to cover pretty much all 2D needs fine, but if additional GPU in keyboard can provide some semi-decent 3D - and it just might, once DX12 starts sneaking into games - then this device can be real multitasker - useful tablet, laptop, light gaming machine. Looks quite attractive to me.
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