The new Surface Laptop. Image: Microsoft
It seems that the era of the laptop isn’t quite over yet, as Microsoft unveils its new Surface Laptop with a revamped operating system, Microsoft 10 S.
Although the number of laptops and PCs shipped continues to slide downwards, Microsoft is attempting to take on rivals Apple and Google with the new Surface Laptop.
The $999 device is a 13.5in laptop, with a focus on students who have typically gravitated towards Apple’s MacBooks.
Based on what was revealed at a press event in New York City yesterday (2 May), the laptop uses a fabric keyboard similar to the one on its Surface Pro 4 tablet.
Microsoft’s head of devices, Panos Panay, said that the 13.5in PixelSense display is the “thinnest LCD touch model ever created”, with 3.4m pixels.
The Surface Laptop will come with the latest Intel Core i5 and i7 processors – which Panay said was faster “than any MacBook Air on the market today” – providing up to 14.5 hours of battery life.
Other hardware specs includes 4GB of RAM and 128GB of hard drive space. The laptop will keep itself cool with some integrated vapour chambers, making it the only noticeable hole, as speakers are built under the keyboard.
Pre-orders from 15 June
Perhaps the biggest news of the night was that Microsoft’s latest operating system (OS), Windows 10 S, was also debuted.
The revamped OS is noticeable for its scaled-back design, once again targeted at students and those using less powerful hardware.
Unlike previous Windows builds, only Microsoft’s Edge browser can be set as default by users.
This means that a user can still download Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox, but any file or other application will open with Edge.
Prices for other devices to be released with Microsoft 10 S for the education sector will start at at $189.
The Surface Laptop will begin shipping on 15 June, with pre-orders being taken now in a number of countries, including Ireland.
