Microsoft has finally launched the much-awaited Surface Laptop, and it comes with impressive specifications and a new operating system. Panos Panay, Microsoft's devices chief, unveiled the new laptop at the company's event in New York City earlier this week.
As reported on The Verge, the new 13.5-inch laptop runs on the new Windows 10 S operating system. It sports a PixelSense display that supports Microsoft's surface pen, and uses a fabric Alcantara keyboard, just like with the Surface Pro 4. The laptop is also lightweight, at under three pounds. It comes in four colors: burgundy, platinum, graphite gold, and cobalt blue.
According to Panay, they built this laptop for students who are about to graduate from high school. "We talk to a lot of them . . . they're asking for a laptop, they're asking for a Surface laptop. So we built a laptop, and it's beautiful," he revealed. It is safe to say that Microsoft is aiming to dominate campuses just as Apple's MacBook and MacBook Air models have done for years. He also said that the Surface Laptop is the "thinnest LCD touch model ever created and put into a laptop."
As per the Surface Laptop's official product page, it sports a 720p high-definition, front-facing camera, Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio Premium, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, ambient light sensor, three RAM variants (4 GB, 8 GB, and 16 GB), three solid-state drive (SSD) storage variants (128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB), and many more. Consumers also have the option to choose from the seventh-generation Intel Core i5 version or i7 version.
A review on TechRadar states that the laptop is the most attractive product from Microsoft yet, and has a long projected battery life. However, the publication also notes that it has "very few ports" and a "limited OS to start." Users of Windows 10 S can only install applications downloaded from the Windows Store.
On a brighter note, users can switch to Windows 10 Pro for free until Dec. 31. After this time, the upgrade will cost $49.
Pre-orders for the Surface Laptop began on Tuesday, May 2, and orders will be shipped on June 15. Price starts at $999 for the Core i5 version that comes with 4 GB of RAM and 126 GB of SSD storage.
