Microsoft took the tech world by surprise with their original half tablet – half computer Surface Book and according to a report by DigiTimes the new Microsoft Surface Book could be revealed by the end of April and it might be more computer than tablet.
Digitimes reports that production has ramped up and speculates that Microsoft will abandon the 2 in 1 design for a more traditional clamshell design.
Digitimes also claims that the new Surface Book will be priced around $1,000 which is around $500 lower than the starting price for the existing Surface Book lines. To us it seems as if Microsoft is taking aim at the low-end Macbook which is a great move for the consumers.
Apple has been sitting on top of the laptop pedestal relatively untouched and that lack of competition has led to complacency with innovations such as the “Touch Bar” which we barely consider an innovation at all. The Macbook likes have gotten stale and a little competition is a good thing.
We also wanted to point out the flip-side of the situation which we consider an extreme downside. There have been a lot of teams and companies who have come to rely on the flexibility of the 2-in-1 Surface Book.
We reached out to a few small business owners who use the 2-in-1 Surface Book to see how they’d feel about the change. Ray Spoljaric, Found & CEO of ComfortCam in New York City said
“I’d be really disappointed if Microsoft were to discontinue the Surface Book. We use it for a bit of everything and the versatility of it makes it the perfect device to do real business on. I just couldn’t see doing the same thing on a tablet and being as productive.”
And David Arnold, a professional audio consultant from ProAudioBoutique.com told us that he regularly uses the Surface Book in his audio studios both while building and creating custom studios to actually recording music,
“It’s crucial for my productivity and I don’t think I can go back to a traditional notebook”.
Not only is it an innovative device for business but Jonas Franklin of ArmChair Empire a gaming and tech review blog mentioned that the devices are powerful enough to be suitable gaming machines.
“They aren’t going to blow away a high-end Ryzen PC but for the casual gamer you can plug it into a monitor, hook up a mouse and keyboard and have a machine that will serve you well.”
In fact, when Microsoft first promoted the device, this was exactly the angle they used. And PCWorld did an elaborate gaming competition test with the Surface Pro vs a gaming PC to back up Jonas’ claims.
What it comes down to is that the device is one of the most flexible and useful business machines out there and is usable in small businesses to the NFL sidelines and it would be a shame for Microsoft to discontinue pushing the bounds of innovation. Not only do customers lose out on an amazing device but the businesses will turn away from the brand to another device that suits their needs.
About the Author
Evan Roberts is a digital marketing consultant for Raleigh Digital and this post was written on a Surface Pro 4.
Microsoft has finally launched the device. It is known as the Surface Laptop.
