We love talking new devices here on #TechTuesdays. Love it. We’ve recently covered Apple’s new offerings, as well as Google’s latest salvo, but there’s a certain giant in Redmond we’ve left out.
But, hey! It was for good reason. Microsoft held the release of their goodies until last week, but now that we know all the juicy details behind the devices revealed at their Lumia press event, we’re ready to hit you with some knowledge. We’ve used our laser-focused gaze (we’re actually cyborgs here at SFX) to narrow down the Microsoft announcements to those that are most likely to mean the most to small business owners: The Surface Pro 4 and the Surface Book. Oh, and the HoloLens, too, because it’s just too fun to ignore.
Let’s get started!
Surface Pro 4
At this point you’re probably familiar with Microsoft’s in-house tablet line, the Surface, but the Surface Pro 4 has received a fairly dramatic makeover that easily makes it one of the most capable tablets around and serves as a swell response to Apple’s recently announced iPad Pro. We’ve used our much ballyhooed cyborg X-Ray vision (Was that what it was? We already forget!) to glance beneath the shell of the Surface Pro 4 and discover its rather miraculous innards:
Processors and RAM — Microsoft’s Surface Pro 4 is armed-to-the-teeth with an impressive 6th Generation line of Intel processors. Depending on what kind of cash you’re willing to part with, you’ll be hooked up with either an Intel Core m3, i5, or i7 processor, equipped with RAM at 4GB, 8GB, or a whopping 16GB. And the GPU? Intel HD graphics 515, Intel HD graphics 520, or Intel Iris graphics.
Storage — Got a lot of stuff to store on your tablet? It’s okay. Microsoft goes a couple steps beyond the likes of Apple and many Android tablet-makers, offering solid state drive (SSD) variants of either 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or even 1 TB.
Display — The Surface Pro 4 rocks a 12.3-inch “PixelSense” display filled with 5 million on-screen pixels, which sets its pixel density at 267ppi (pixels-per-inch).
Surface Pen — Microsoft’s Surface Pen is the stylus used to control the device in many situations, particularly when used for creative purposes. The new, included Surface Pen now offers 1,024 levels of pressure detection, and even has a tail eraser that allows you to make quick edits when drawing and whatnot. It’s stored magnetically on the Surface itself, and flaunts a reported full year of battery.
Keyboard — As before, there is an optional keyboard that attaches magnetically to the Surface Pro 4. It is not included, but the new keyboard has been tweaked to offer a bigger trackpad and backlit keys.
Battery — Your experience may vary, but Microsoft is quoting 9 hours of continuous video playback on the Surface Pro 4.
Price — You can nab a Surface Pro 4 starting at just $899, but prices spike up from there depending on what kind of processor, RAM and storage you’re aiming for. A fully decked-out Surface Pro 4 will actually run you $2,699. You can configure the different options here. Oh, and that optional keyboard will run you $130.
Surface Book
A Microsoft-made laptop? Absolutely. Microsoft showed off a sleek, sophisticated laptop of their own creation at their press event, and they’ve appropriately dubbed it the “Surface Book” due to its design cues and the fact that it has a touch-sensitive screen that can operate in three ways: in normal laptop configuration complemented by the built-in keyboard; entirely detached as a tablet; and temporarily detached, reattached, and flipped around to create a canvas for artists wielding the included Surface Pen.
The Surface Book is constructed from magnesium and is intended to take Apple’s Macbook Pro head-on. Heck, Microsoft even said as much. Here’s what we know:
Processors and RAM — Surface Book shines with either the Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor — nothing less. The i5 model can come equipped with either Intel HD graphics or dedicated NVIDIA GeForce graphics, while the i7 model appropriately only offers the latter. 8GB and 16GB RAM configurations are also on-hand.
Storage — 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB.
Display — Microsoft loves their new “PixelSense” display, and are also using it and its 267ppi on the Surface Book. However, the screen on the Book is larger than on the Surface Pro 4, ringing in at 13.5-inches.
Surface Pen — The same Pen included with the Surface Pro 4 reappears as a complimentary item for the Surface Book.
Battery — Your settings will certainly affect any estimates, but Microsoft is saying the Surface Book supports 12 hours of continuous video playback.
Price — The Surface Book starts at $1,499, although if you’re feeling frisky you can always drop $2,699 on the highest-spec variant. You can configure your new Microsoft laptop here.
HoloLens
It feels like VR (Virtual Reality) solutions are all the rage these days, even if many/most/all aren’t truly ready for primetime. Microsoft is getting in on the game with HoloLens, and we wanted to take a break from the comparatively staid world of laptops and tablets to have a little fun by debriefing you on the VR project.
Admittedly, Microsoft intends for HoloLens to be both an entertainment and business device. We’ve covered it in detail in the past, but as a quick synopsis, HoloLens uses built-in sensors to analyze the space around its user and then project content (images, videos, programs, what-have-you) onto the actual real-life surfaces around you. Imagine a YouTube video projected right onto your wall like a television set, for instance.
Perhaps the main differentiator between HoloLens and previous VR solutions is that the headset doesn’t have any cables holding you down. It also doesn’t require a remote PC connection. It works on its own. And while it will be able to run universal Windows 10 apps for productivity purposes, Microsoft showed off a game, “Project X-Ray,” in which bad guys leap from the walls of your living room… or whatever room or area you’re currently residing in.
HoloLens is certainly intriguing stuff, but it’s still in the developmental stages, so we’ll keep you updated.
We know the Surface Pro 4, Surface Book, and HoloLens is a lot to digest, so we’ll skip a wordy conclusion this time. Thanks for keeping it with #TechTuesdays — we’ll see ya next week!
