Microsoft Move On Chromebook Crowd With Expensive Surface Laptop
Microsoft have opened up the latest front in its war on Google and Apple, announcing a new low-end Surface Laptop that will retail for over $1,500 in Australia.
Pitched squarely the education market that once belonged to Apple and has now leaned towards Google, the Surface Laptop is a classic laptop in design and execution.
The new Surface Laptop runs on a special version of Windows 10, called Windows 10 S. This operating system locks you to apps on the Windows Store, which at this stage should work well enough for the target audience. For those with more ambition, Microsoft say you’ll be able to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro for a small fee.
It’s boasting a shell-like build that integrates the speakers and heat vents underneath the devices keyboard. Spec-wise, it’s packing a 13.5 LCD PixelSense display and Intel’s latest i5 processor. There will be a number of different configurations of built-in RAM and on-board storage, ranging from a 124GB SSD to a whole terabyte SSD and 4GBs of 16GBs.
Speaking at the product’s announcement, Microsoft’s VP for Surface Panos Panay “the Surface Laptop is lighter and thinner than any MacBook Air or MacBook Pro currently available and it’s faster and has longer battery life than any MacBook on sale today. We want you to be proud of your laptop when you pull it out of the bag.”
He says “we built a laptop that’s beautiful, but it’s beautiful because it’s personal. And it’s going to last you; it’s going to last that student from the day they start to the day they walk across that stage and collect their diploma four years later.”
Microsoft is starting preorders for the Surface Laptop today, with prices starting at $999 US.
It’s due to start shipping out from June 15th.
Australian pricing and availability has yet to be announced.