Microsoft has unveiled another brand-new PC today. The Microsoft Surface Book is Microsoft's first-ever convertible laptop, and it looks like it's aimed at people who are intrigued by the Surface Pro 4 but aren't interested in a tablet.
The Surface Book includes a 13.5-inch display with a pixel density of 267PPI. That display is optically bonded to the glass, which means it should look good. Microsoft says the Surface Book is for someone who wants a bigger screen and "the perfect typing experience" of a laptop. For one, that includes a backlit keyboard. There's also deeper keys, with 1.6mm of travel. Microsoft is kind of freaking out about this keyboard. It's calling it "perfect" and saying it'll type almost silently. Beneath all that, the Surface Book includes a glass trackpad with five points of touch sensitivity.
Naturally, the Surface Book will work with Microsoft's Surface Pen stylus as well. As for why you'd want to use this device as a tablet, Microsoft is talking about it as a "digital clipboard." That's not the most compelling phrase, but it's really everything that the Surface line has always been: a very powerful tablet that runs desktop Windows. This one just happens to do a much better job of transforming into the laptop that it really wants to be.
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Microsoft Surface Book |
Apple MacBook Pro 13 |
|
| Size | 12.3 x 9.14 x .51-.90 inches | 12.35 x 8.62 x .71 inches |
| Weight | 3.34 pounds | 3.48 pounds |
| Display | 13.5-inch PixelSense touch display | 13.3-inch Retina display |
| Resolution | 3,000 x 2,000 (267 ppi) | 2,560 x 1,600 (227 ppi) |
| Operating System | Windows 10 | Mac OS X |
| Storage | 128, 256, 512GB | 128. 256. 512GB or 1TB |
| CPU | Intel Core i5 or i7 | Intel Core i5 |
| RAM | 8GB or 16GB | 8GB or 16GB |
| Camera | Front 5MP, Rear 8MP | Front 720p |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort | Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt 2 |
| Sensors | Ambient light, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer | Ambient light, Force touch |
| Battery | Up to 12 hours of video playback | Up to 12 hours of video playback |
| Price | $1,499 base | $1,299 base |
| Availability | October 26th | Available now |
Read more: http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/spec-showdown-microsoft-surface-book-vs-macbook-pro-13/#ixzz3nrUqcuK0
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On the inside, the Surface Book has the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors, from the Skylake family. There's also an Nvidia GeForce GPU with GDDR5 memory, however that's located in the base, so you'll need to keep the display docked to tap into its power. All together, the machine is supposed to keep running for 12 hours on a single charge. "Ounce-for-ounce, pound-for-pound," Microsoft claims, "this is the fastest 13-inch laptop ever made anywhere on any planet." Microsoft says it'll actually be twice as fast as the MacBook Pro. The Surface Book will go on sale October 26th with prices beginning at $1,499. Preorders will begin October 7th.
