On the Microsoft October 2015 event
I have to say I wasn’t expecting this. The fact that Microsoft decided to introduce a premium laptop was interesting. The 13.5″ Microsoft Surface Book.
My first thought was that the hinge looks pretty ugly.
And why doesn’t it close all the way? What a weird design for a laptop.
Oh, did I mention it’s a 2-in-1?
My mind was kind of blown at this point. Now that's a whole different story.
I love the concept of 2-in-1s. I think it's the way of the future. I see no reason why any tablet shouldn't be able to become a laptop with the right accessory, whether that's a type cover, a keyboard dock or even just a wireless keyboard and mouse. Especially with touch just really being more pleasant to use for certain type of activities.
Of course, the OS and apps have to handle the different types of inputs, and do it well, but that’s a story for another day.
I do like what they’re doing with the Windows– I mean Microsoft logo. Did I mention I find it stupid that the company and its largest product have similar, nigh identical logos? They should've just stuck with one logo, which is this simpler “Microsoft” logo.
What’s interesting is that the keyboard base contains not only a battery, but also a dedicated GPU (at least in some models).
Microsoft seemed to be on point with its hardware today. Or at least its claims were. While the general opinion of Microsoft hardware is pretty high, it remains to be seen if it’s worth $1499 for the base model.
One outrageous claim was that the device uses zero power when it’s closed, which is not the case at all with Windows devices in standby. In my experience, they lose charge by themselves within 2, 3 days tops, which is just frankly awful. I also believe this is inherent to the OS, and won’t change unless they vastly overhaul how Win32 and native API behaves, thus putting backwards compatibility at risk. But frankly, Microsoft should just cut off backwards compatibility and let businesses keep their old OSs. I want a good experience, everything else is secondary.
They’ve also announced the Microsoft Surface Pro 4.
Not much has changed here. It’s more powerful, slightly thinner. The display is now closer to the glass than ever, is slightly larger (while keeping the same overall tablet size), with pixel density (267 ppi) on par with the iPad (264 ppi).
I’m still not a big fan of the kickstand. It seems inherently “unlappable”, which is pretty crucial for a tablet that’s supposed to replace your lap-top.
This also raises the question of why there are two separate devices. Couldn’t the Surface Pro 4 have been designed so that it could be plugged into a keyboard base with a dedicated GPU? Wouldn’t that be more versatile? Is 12.3″ and 13.5″ really that big of a difference?
I also wish Microsoft would make a 15″ Surface. I really just think big tablets are awesome. Big 2-in-1s even more so.
But $899 for the base model Surface Pro 4? Honestly, I’d be more interested in the non-Pro Surface 4, which was absent. I’ve never had issues with lack of performance on a tablet, and even my MacBook Pro has trouble with games, so I don’t think performance is the way to go with portables.
There’s a new Type Cover. The key layout and dimensions are now seemingly identical with the 12″ MacBook. The touchpad is larger, yet it still seems too small to me. Interestingly, some models include a separate fingerprint reader to allow Windows Hello to function on the older Surface Pro 3. I have to wonder if integrating it within the touchpad wasn’t an option. Windows Hello itself is a nice reaction to Apple’s Touch ID, but it remains to be seen how reliable and convenient it is.
There’s also a new Surface Pen available in different colours. It newly has an eraser, and 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity, although what difference that does make I do not know. It also claims reduced latency. There will also be new replacement tips of different shapes. I’m not too impressed, since one thing I’ve always disliked about digitiser pens is that the tip gives way when you press on it, which seems to be the case here as well. What I’m more concerned with is that the pen seems to lack buttons. The pen also promises a year’s worth of battery life. I hope the implication here isn’t that it’s disposable, that would be pretty bad.
Oh, and the pen can be magnetically attached to the Surface Pro 4 and Book. It looked cute, but I’d probably be worried of it detaching and getting lost.
There’s also a new Surface Dock. I feel like this should be an obvious accessory, but apparently it isn't. I'm glad that at least Microsoft is doing this, since Apple is severely lacking in this regard.
There’s the new Microsoft Band 2, but it doesn’t look like something I’d want to wear at all times. It’s not fashionable, it looks bulky and uncomfortable to type with, and its functions seem dedicated almost solely to fitness. I’d prefer a smart watch.
There was also a Hololens demo, which was super cheesy, in classical Microsoft fashion. You will also apparently be able to buy a dev kit for a “mere” $3000. I sure hope the consumer version is far cheaper than that.
Finally, new flagship phones. The 5.2″ Microsoft Lumia 950.
The looks leave a lot to be desired.
The 5.7″ Microsoft Lumia 950 XL is even worse. Gone are the vibrant colours. Plastic, metal and glass is combined without rhyme or reason. It’s tasteless, and smells of design by committee. This is something I was afraid would happen since the acquisition of Nokia’s mobile division by Microsoft.
The specs are nice, sure, but it’s nothing game changing. The phones boast a 20 megapixel Zeiss optics camera, but that by itself means very little. I find that software determines photo quality far more than camera specs do.
Oh, and Windows Phones now have the Windows “Hero” image as the lock screen. Great. It's only been a couple of months and I already hate the godawful picture with a passion.
There was a lot of emphasis on Continuum with the newly introduced Display Dock, which allows you to connect a monitor and accessories via USB-C and use your phone like a PC. While this isn’t news, it is an interesting idea. I’m just not sure how useful it will be. It’s no good for travelling, and if you have a bigger screen, it might as well be a tablet with its own more powerful processor. This leaves people who don’t have a second device, but how will the price of the Display Dock and a monitor, keyboard and mouse compare to a laptop or tablet?
Also, can I just say how glad I am the Display Dock is just a little box with sensibly arranged ports? Going by the current USB hub designs, you’d think this was a stroke of genius. Sheesh.
The newly announced 4.7″ Microsoft Lumia 550 budget phone is a bit more interesting, if only because it does 4G LTE for only $139. Of course, it’s hard to judge a phone only by specs, but really, a metal logo on a plastic back? Come on, Microsoft, surely you know better. Otherwise, the display and everything else seems pretty nice. Only the 5 megapixel camera and lack of a USB-C port are a bit disappointing.
Now if only Windows 10 wasn’t shit.
