Microsoft intros Surface Pro 4, Surface Book laptop (1 Viewer)

First, before Apple lovers jump on me.. I love my iPad, etc. but the Surface Pro 3 has been a workhorse for me and totally wiped out my interest in a laptop. The unit has been crazy functional but it's durability + ability to use on-the-go apps have really knocked it out of the park for me..


So the introduction of the new Surface Pro 4 works by me..


http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/06/surface-pro-4-vs-the-competion/


That said, they also introduced the Surface Book.. which frankly looks like one of the cooler things I've ever seen MS put out:


http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/06/surface-book-vs-the-competition/

http://www.engadget.com/2015/10/06/microsofts-surface-book-is-its-first-and-ultimate-laptop/


16Gb of DDR4 on an I7 with a 3,000x2000 resolution that was capable of playing Gears of War at that but certified driver base that appears based on some ?s elsewhere it will have Autocad and Photoshop native acceleration? HMMMMM.

I was totally into the Book until I saw:
The ridiculous price
The ridiculous air gap
the fans

Fans, on a tablet? Pshaw.

The book isn't a tablet. It's a laptop... I don't think it's geared at a tablet market in the beginning... at least they aren't marketing it that way.. that's where the Surface Pro is..


$1499 for an I5/16Gb/SSD Notebook with an Nvidia video isn't that out of whack; it's slightly less than I paid for my wife's Macbook Pro, all told. (she has a MJLQ2LL/A, which is lesser configured than the $1,500 Surface Book) ...


Anyway, I let the MS Store know I'd pre-order one, I'm grabbing a model at basically the same price as the wife's Macbook, I'll let you know.


I was already committed to the Surface Pro tablet, which will replace my Surface 3.. the Surface 3 remains, frankly, the best tablet I've ever used.

mattCR said:

$1499 for an I5/16Gb/SSD Notebook with an Nvidia video isn't that out of whack

Click to expand...

The cheapest model with the Nvidia GPU is $1899 (i5/8GB/256GB). The only model I am seeing with 16GB of RAM is an i7 that runs $2,699.


-Keith

Keith Plucker said:

The cheapest model with the Nvidia GPU is $1899 (i5/8GB/256GB). The only model I am seeing with 16GB of RAM is an i7 that runs $2,699.

-Keith

Click to expand...

My bad. Will review the options tomorrow

Never mind, just got told what we are doing, so I preordered 18 of the Surface pros and two of the Books. But I'll get a chance to play with one of the books for a while.

The Surface Pro has been such a workhorse for us, I figured we'd upgrade some of them

Awesome launch videos!
“Microsoft has warmed my cold cynical heart with hot new hardware | The Verge”
http://www.theverge.com/2015/10/6/9464449/microsoft-surface-book-pro-4-beautiful

I like to see Microsoft innovating like this. The hardware is nice but I would never buy any of it because... Windows. It is good, though, because it makes Apple try harder and not become complacent. Good competition is healthy, no competition is the DMV.

It clearly IS being marketed as a tablet.

The surface pro is, but the advertising on the book calls it 'the ultimate laptop' and compares it to macbook

DONGLE ALRET!
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/accessories/surface-dock

Sam Posten said:

DONGLE ALRET!
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en-us/accessories/surface-dock

Click to expand...

Optional Dock.


My wife has this one for her Macbook: http://eshop.macsales.com/shop/Thunderbolt/Dock/OWC/Thunderbolt2-Dock/?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=thunderbolt

At a previous job, I had a laptop. Handy for meetings and travel. But it had an integrated docking system. Sit it down on the dock, lid closed, and I had my ergo keyboard, mouse, Ethernet, dual monitors, and USB dongle for pro software. For professional engineering work, it was the best office computing setup I've ever had.

Having a good, workable docking option is is always a good thing. And kudos to Microsoft for knowing that and building it (and jeers to Apple for failing to recognize this professional need).

Yeah, for work, I would always want to use a docking station w/ bigger screen and better keyboard and mouse -- I almost never use my work laptop as a laptop, except when I'm out and away.


Haven't noticed much to gain w/ the SP4 over the SP3 though -- I actually bought an SP3 for my wife last month on a good sale figuring the SP4 won't likely make significant enough advances.


_Man_

Embargoes for both are up. Mostly thumbs up, expensive, clunky as a tablet, the hinge is stupid, win 10 slowness like 20 seconds to log in hampers it, etc.
http://www.laptopmag.com/reviews/laptops/microsoft-surface-book
http://www.wired.com/2015/10/review-microsoft-surface-book/?mbid=social_twitter
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/surface-book-review-the-laptop-that-replaces-your-tablet/

mattCR said:

The surface pro is, but the advertising on the book calls it 'the ultimate laptop' and compares it to macbook

Click to expand...

It's built to be a tablet that makes you only think it's a laptop.

http://www.wired.com/2015/10/surface-book-behind-the-scenes/

Commentary after receiving plenty: the surface pro (tablet) is improved from the 3, and as a mobile workstation it is really solid. The pro book is a very neat concept, but it's a 1.0 product while the surface pro is polished like a 4th gen product. The book is fast, well powered, slick but there really isn't much that it does the surface pro doesn't for the majority of business customers.

Maybe Microsoft fans feel this way about Apple products, but I'm totally confused on the surface pro book product naming. Which is surface, what's pro, and when's it a book?

I think my Dad would like the new tablet / keyboard convertible. If it runs Office, does Remote Desktop, and works well as a tablet, he might really get a kick out of it.