Colorful Surface

New look for Microsoft laptop

By Anca Gagiuc on May 23, 2017 in Technology

Microsoft’s Surface lineup welcomed its newest computer, the Surface Laptop, the company’s direct answer to the MacBook. The new flagship device for Windows 10 S was designed with college students in mind. It will sell starting at $999 (upgraded versions will costs as much as $2,199) and will begin shipping on June 15.

The new device doesn’t hold any records—it’s not the thinnest nor lightest out there, but its 0.6-inch thickness and 2.74-pound weight make it an easy burden to carry around. The Surface laptop doesn’t bring any novelties either, it’s a Microsoft PC with the Surface branding.

The overall design makes you think more about a MacBook-style notebook rather than a Microsoft’s Surface Book—the screen is not detachable and the hinges are not supposed to be seen. In fact, the Surface Laptop feels to be geared toward Apple customers more than anyone else.

It will be available in four colors—burgundy, graphite gold, platinum and cobalt blue—the burgundy and blue versions are special in a way that will immediately stand out. Out stands the cloth-like Alcantara fabric, brought from Italy and is laser cut to coat the palm rests and the space between the keys. Even though it’s not more luxurious than metal, its softness and warmth look appealing. How well will it stand the test of time? Remains to be seen.

Tech-specs wise, one of the first things that catches your eye is its lack of ports (which seems to have turned into a trend lately): the headphone jack is still there, next to an USB 3.0 port and a mini DisplayPort. But that’s it, Microsoft decided that the USB-C doesn’t have a place there, nor does Thunderbolt 3. One cool thing is that it doesn’t have any visible speaker grilles or holes, and that’s because the sound is integrated beneath the keyboard, projecting the sound vertically from behind the keys.

The Surface Laptop runs on the latest Intel Core i5 chip, with the option to upgrade to the more powerful i7 chip; 4, 8 or 16GB or RAM and 128, 256 or 512GB of SSD storage. The top models with i7 processors also have Iris Plus graphics. Despite all this power, Microsoft claims the device will run 14.5 hours per charge, outperforming Apple’s MacBook Air that can last for 12 hours. Furthermore, the recently released Microsoft accessories, such as the Surface Dial and Surface Pen are compatible with the new laptop, but the pen is not included in the box. This is where the 360-degree hinge would have made a big difference, as without it, writing on the screen becomes an inconvenience at best. The 13.5-inch PixelSense LCD touchscreen display, made with edge-to-edge Corning Gorilla Glass 3 has a 3×2 aspect ratio, which the company claims it makes the screen feel like using a 14-inch one.

Windows 10 S, the lightweight variant of Windows 10 that the company announced alongside the laptop, will be powering the laptop. Here’s a catch—Microsoft’s newest OS is what you’d call a closed ecosystem. So, the most recent launch is not just a take at the MacBook line, it’s copying a chapter of Apple’s App Store success. On Windows 10 S-powered computers only apps from Microsoft’s own store will work, anything else is kept out. Yes, you read that correctly and more so, within this OS users won’t be able to change the browser, so Edge will have to do. Even more so, users in Windows 10 S will have to adjust their searches on the not-so-popular Bing as it will be the only default search engine. However, here is room for change, for $50 customers can upgrade to Windows 10 Pro. Will your next laptop be a Surface?