Apple will find it hard to ignore Microsoft’s new $999 Surface Laptop
Microsoft is now “chasing another category many believe is Apple’s to lose: the $1,000 laptop for everyone,” Mark Gurman and Dina Bass write for Bloomberg. “Microsoft Corp., a company once derided for buggy software, unstable hardware and indifferent design, debuted the Surface Laptop on Tuesday. The machine boots up in seconds, has a touch screen and gets a claimed 14 hours of battery life (two better than Apple’s MacBook Air). Weighing in at 2.76 pounds, about a quarter-pound less than the Air, the Surface Laptop boasts a 13.5-inch screen and is one of the thinnest and lightest products in its class.”
“Microsoft is targeting the education market—and even threw laptops inside backpacks stuffed with textbooks, notepads and keys to simulate college-kid wear-and-tear,” Gurman and Bass write. “Yet the Surface Laptop’s affordable price, portability and features could appeal to a far broader audience—including Mac loyalists.”
MacDailyNews Take: Yeah, um… no. No macOS, no sale.
“In an effort to make the surface around the keyboard more pleasing to the eye and touch, designers used Alcantara, a synthetic microfiber that’s more durable than the suede it mimics,” Gurman and Bass write. “The finished laptop, milled from a slab of custom aluminum alloy, has no screws or holes, save for a pair of microphones to converse with Cortana, Microsoft’s voice assistant.”
Microsoft’s new $999 Surface Laptop
“With its hardware and software teams working together, Microsoft created a new version of its operating system, called Windows 10 S, that’s tailored to the laptop,” Gurman and Bass write. “(Users can still install Windows 10 Pro over Windows 10 S, but they won’t be able to switch back.) The OS also runs only apps offered on Microsoft’s app store.”
MacDailyNews Take: Wonder where they got that idea? Oh, yeah, the same place they got every good idea they’ve ever had.
“The laptop wakes from sleep almost instantly when the lid is opened, and takes seconds to turn on from a fully powered-off state,” Gurman and Bass write. “Meanwhile, Apple has come under fire from Mac owners for focusing on the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch—and letting the Mac lineup languish. The Air hasn’t had a serious makeover since 2010, just a modest upgrade two years ago. Stung by the criticism from the disgruntled faithful, Apple has pledged to do better.”
MacDailyNews Take: No Continuity. It’s still Windows. Etc., etc. etc.
