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My Prediction
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Microsoft SurfaceBook
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Screen
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10”
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13.5”
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CPU
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Core i5
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2.4-GHz Skylake Intel Core i5-6300U or
2.6-GHz Skylake Intel Core i7-6600U |
GPU
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Dedicated
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Nvidia Maxwell based GPU with 1GB GDDR5 memory available in the keyboard dock
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RAM
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8GB
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8GB or 16GB
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SSD
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1TB
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128GB, 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB
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Battery life
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10 hours
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“Up to 12 hours of video playback”
10 hours of battery in the dock
plus 2 hours in the tablet
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Weight
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1 pound
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3.5 pounds with keyboard
1.6 pounds with just tablet
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Price
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$1000
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$1500 - $3200
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Pretty close, right? There are three things that keep this from being perfect:
- The screen is too big for a tablet. iPad Pro has the same problem.
- The battery is too small in tablet mode.
- The cost is too high.
If I had $3200 to burn I would buy this today. The performance difference between the available i5 and i7 processors is pretty small so if you can survive with only 256GB of storage and don't need a dedicated GPU then the $1699 model with only 8GB of memory is still a solid choice to replace your existing laptop and even your desktop. The add-on surface dock for $199 gives you two mini display ports, a Gigabit Ethernet port, four high-speed USB 3.0 ports, and an audio output so when at home you get the 13.5" tablet screen plus two external monitors.
Windows 10 makes an excellent operating system for this device as well. If you are coming from Windows 7 there is a bit of a learning curve to adapt to the new start menu. If you are coming from Windows 8, well, upgrade immediately as Windows 10 corrects all the big problems with Windows 8 returning the start menu and allowing you to run the Metro apps in windowed mode. The fact that you can get the same user interface on desktop, laptop, tablet, and phone is pretty amazing and puts Microsoft officially out in front of Apple for the first time in a long time.
If you really need a new laptop now then consider the $1699 SurfaceBook with the $199 dock; you won't find better available this year.
If you can hold out a little longer then do. Microsoft has taken a page out of Google's book. Google offers the Nexus phone and tablets as reference products that set the standard for other manufacturers to meet. Most people will never buy a Nexus phone because they are more costly without the carrier subsidies. Similarly most people should not buy the currently overpriced SurfaceBook. Instead, wait until next year when you see Dell and Asus offering less expensive options with smaller screens and less total weight.
