The traditional PC has been around for a very long time. Apple changed things up when they released their first iMac, marketed towards creative professionals looking to change the world. Fast forward to 2016 and the once game changing company is a mere shell of its once innovative self. Microsoft made this even more evident with the release of their Surface Studio – a product that out Apple itself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzMLA8YIgG0
The Surface Studio is gorgeous. I would go on to claim it is the most beautiful piece of computing hardware ever made. This product is very expensive, starting at $ 2,999, and is made for those who want to create and avail an immersive computing experience. This all in one PC has the thinnest LCD touch screen on any computer. It is 28 inches across and has 4500 X 3000 pixels with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The display has what Microsoft calls, a zero gravity hinge. This clever mechanism allows the Studio to be moved with just the tip of your finger and kept in place to best fit your personal need. It also moves into the perfect angle for writing or drawing on the display.
The specifications are not the highest possible but are good enough for most use cases. Microsoft uses 6th generation (Skylake) core i5 or i7 processors. If you opt for a core i5 processor, you get a Nvidia GeFroce GTX 965M GPU with 2GB of GDDR5 VRAM. If you opt for the core i7 configuration, you can choose between the former GPU and a Nvidia GeFroce GTX 980M with 4GB of GDDR5 VRAM. RAM options are: 8GB, 16GB and 32GB. For storage, you either get a 1TB or 2TB Rapid Hybrid Drive (a combination of SSD and SATA storage).
Microsoft ships a Surface Pen, Surface Keyboard and a Surface Mouse with each Surface Studio PC. Unfortunately, you will have to pay $100 extra if you want the new Surface Dial. The Surface Dial is a new accessory that allows for a unique method of interacting with the content on your screen. It works with the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 too.
Pre-orders for the new PC are now open through Microsoft’s website but the devices will not ship before early 2017. The entry level model costs $2,999 (core i5, Nvidia GeFroce GTX 965M GPU, 1TB storage, 8GB RAM) and the most expensive one costs $4,199 (core i7, Nvidia GeFroce GTX 980M GPU, 2TB storage, 32GB RAM). The Surface Studio is a brand new way of looking at the PC. Microsoft has demonstrated with this products that there is still room for innovation in the desktop computing market. This is especially important given how unimpressive Apple’s latest product lineup has been and also the company’s inability to provide a professional grade desktop computer. The Surface Studio is a work of art but is also very practical. It is the physical manifestation of a computer that adapts to the user and we cannot wait to see how the entire industry responds to this unbelievable machine.
