Is it the time that Windows users that want the best portable laptop can finally use something else than an Apple product? Microsoft just presented the Surface Book: [YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XVfOe5mFbAE[/YOUTUBE] http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/microsoft-introduces-surface-book-a-laptop-for-surface-fans/ It is a 13,5 inch convertible laptop, that also has a Nvidia GPU. MS claims it gets 12 hours battery life. No kids, this isn't a gaming laptop, but for professionals who want something really premium yet have to use Windows only software. Maybe there will be now a Windows laptop, that has a good keyboard, an excellent touchpad and display and attention to details like battery life and fan noise.
More details: The Surface Book has a 3:2(!) display at 3200x2000 pixels, the Nvidia GPU is acutally in the base unit and when you detach the display it can only use the integrated GPU. MS currently says it weights only 728g, but I can't believe that. I guess that is for the tablet alone. The laptop also comes with a digital pen and touchscreen, it has pretty much every trendy tech from the last years in it. Price: 1900$ for 8GB/256GB and the Nvidia GPU. Pretty much Apple prices. Can't wait for reviews. http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Book/productID.325716000
Is that the same price as a mac with the same specs? If so, wouldn't it be better to just get a mac since you get the OSX? You can run windows easily on a mac, the same cannot be said for the other way around.
The 13" MacBook Pro with 8 GB RAM and 256 GB SSD costs $1499. Of course, the Surface Book has a touchscreen and a discrete GPU, which the MBP lacks. The only Mac laptop with a discrete GPU is the $2499 15" MacBook Pro.
You know this thinkpad I'm using isn't considered a gaming deal at all, much less so then this thing it seems. Ain't gonna stop me from playing whatever I feel like it though.
The Surface Book is $1700 with only integrated GPU and the same specced MacBook Pro is $1500. So MS asks more than Apple actually. Of course you get a newer CPU generation, the pen, the tablet mode and the IZGO screen. Both laptops weight the same 1580g. If Microsoft gets the drivers right (and they achieved that with the Surface tablets) it should have better battery life and even a better touchpad than a MacBook Pro running Windows. So for 100% Windows people that aren't gamers and are willing to invest quite some money, the Surface Book seems to be the best laptop around. Yeah, when on vacation I played some hours of Guild Wars 2 on my HD4000. It's possible but not something you really enjoy.
Yeah, if the docking mechanism turns out to be reliable and they don't change it for the next generation. I wonder how they connect the base unit to the tablet, the GPU needs some serious bandwidth.
First review: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/10/surface-book-review-the-laptop-that-replaces-your-tablet/ Display, keyboard, touch pad seem to be good, some driver problems with the dedicated GPU though. Those Skylake integrated GPUs are nice too, 60% performance jump over Haswell chips.
