Microsoft Takes The Hardware Fight To Apple With Surface Showcase
ANALYSIS: Microsoft is setting the standard for Windows 10 machines as Silicon goes hands-on
Surface Studio
All-in-one desktop PCs are often put to use by creative professionals, such as video editors, photographers and designers; and not to labour the point, they have been another are where Apple has held sway with its iMac.
Microsoft’s Surface Studio looks to disrupt that by offering an all-in-one desktop with a hinge that allows it to be tilted almost flat for use as a 28in PixelSense touchscreen canvas with the Surface Pen and Microsoft’s touchscreen control accessory, the Surface Dial.
While it can be specced with powerful Intel processors and Nvidia GPUs, the Surface Studio may be outpaced by other all-in-one desktops in sheer performance due, as some of these more traditional all-in-one machines have access to Nvidia’s latest graphics accelerators.
But the addition of a 4.5K resolution display that can be used as a digital canvas, Microsoft is offering a fairly unique device that other hardware firms have yet to mirror.
Having used the Surface Studio and seen it put to use by an Adobe specialist, there is no doubt that the Surface Studio is an impressive device for creative workloads.; it looks good, feels good and performs well, making it a very hard device to pick faults with.
The price, however, it eye-watering; starting at £2,999 fir the base unit, which sports an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB or RAM and a 2GB Nvidia GPU, the Surface Pro can top out at a massive £4,249, which is a lot of money for the specification.
Saying halo
None of the Surface devices sport particularly affordable prices; the Surface Laptop is probably the best priced machine for the specification and hardware quality.
But, in our opinion they don’t need to be. Microsoft makes plenty of money with its software and Azure cloud products and services, so the Surface range, which will still likely sell well, does not need to smash sales records.
Rather, they serve as an example of Microsoft setting the standard of what Windows 10 laptops, 2-in-1, and all-in-one devices should shoot for.
No doubts the likes pof Dell, HP, Acer, and Asus will look to adopt some of Microsoft’s design and engineering prowess displayed in the Surface range and create their now takes at more competitive prices, while benefiting Redmond by building out the Windows 10 ecosystem.
Microsoft has come a long way under the leadership of Satya Nadella, and the Surface range is one such indication that the tech giant still has plenty of innovation left in its corporate mass.
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