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I have to agree with Paul about the idea that there is just something compelling about the Surface line that I don’t get from HP, Lenovo, or Dell. I will tune in for a one or two hour Surface event, but when one of the big three has a lineup refresh I can’t even be bothered to read Paul’s summary article.
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I would love for Microsoft to take a page from Brydge and make hard-shell keyboards for the Surface Pro and Surface Go! Having those things connect to the Surface Connect port instead of using Bluetooth would open up possibilities. The one thing I don’t like about my Pro 7 is the ports on on the left side (when in laptop/horizontal mode) - which means any cables dangle off the side, which I just don’t like at all. Having a hard-shell detachable keyboard that was thick enough to have ports would solve that issue for me.
I have to admit that I would also love a docking station for the Surface like the vertical dock Brydge makes for the MacBook Pro. But I may be in a minority on that.
With all of that said - I really liked the products announced at the Surface event, especially the Laptop Studio. Good stuff, Microsoft!
Totally spaced on the event this morning, glad I’ve got WW to bring me up to speed.
No more magnesium alloy! I’ll have to see how the alum feels. I liked the Surface line partially because of that premium feel, hopefully this still translates with the aluminium body.
What’s with the hate on the Surface connector? Yea… those USB-C connectors can push ~100w but they sure do get hot while doing it. I’m a big fan of the magnetic capture too, saved my day at least once.
I guess they’re dropping it, but I think you’re describing the Surface Book? It’s got a hard keyboard with ports, along with a big ol’ battery and possibly a discrete GPU.
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+1 on the Surface Connector. The magnetic connection was a lifesaver during remote school for the kids; they must have kicked the cable a dozen times.
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Just don’t try drinking it, it dries the mouth out! 
Had fun as a kid growing alum crystals in a dish for a school project. Luckily I had watched the Tom & Jerry episode, where Jerry gives Tom alum and his mouth shrunk so much, he couldn’t eat Jerry!
Nearly everything else uses USB-C, so it is standardised. We have Dell and Lenovo laptops and a couple of Surface devices. We have USB-C or Thunderbolt docks on all desks and in the conference rooms. Guess which users have to carry their docks with them, when they need to work at another location?
Surface and the iPhone and base iPad are the only real holdouts these days.
My Monitor has USB-C and it can charge my phone, my iPad or my laptop (and act as a dock, with the downstream ports). In the kitchen, we have a USB-C charger. Upstairs, we have a USB-C charger. Only my wife’s previous generation iPad mini and my company iPhone SE don’t have USB-C. That meant that we could throw out all the micro-USB and USB-A chargers, except the one for the iPad mini.
Have a standard charger and a standard cable (and a standard dock, in the case of laptops) makes everything much simpler. The monitor and the dock in my home office can charge at 65W - 90W, but negotiate with my smartphone & iPad Air to provide optimum power. The 25W in the kitchen & upstairs does quick charging for the smartphones and iPad Air and is enough to top up the laptop when it is in stand-by. 1 cable, stick it in any device and let it get on with it.
USB-C, with USB 3.2 gen 2, 4.0 or Thunderbolt is also many times faster than the Surface connector.
I like the magnetic connector on the Surface (I had a Surface Pro 3), but it is non-standard, which means doubling up on power supplies and docking stations, if you have smartphones, newer iPads or other brands of laptops in the house.
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Brydge also makes a hard-shell keyboard for the Surface Pro 7 /7+ and they’ve just announced one for the Surface Pro 8 . It effectively makes the Surface Pro like a Surface Book, but it connects via bluetooth. I really want 3rd parties to make use of that Surface Connector that the Surface Type keyboards use so it can free up the remaining ports on the Surface for other use…
IMO, the Surface allure is first because Surface devices have consistently and confidently nailed initial quality: the screen, keyboard, touchpad, chassis, authentication, etc. It’d be very off-brand for Surface ship with a subpar screen or a poor quality touchpad this year.
Second because–unlike every other OEM–Surface caters to its fans. HP / Lenovo / Dell need mass market appeal. Surface prioritizes Surface fans: people that like 3:2 touchscreens, zero bloatware, Windows Hello, high-quality typing and swiping, etc. And Microsoft picked the right choices: Surface fixes so many Windows PC pain points that we can’t help but give them a serious look.
Surface has pride: it cares that it looks nice, it does well, it isn’t annoying, etc. If you have the budget, who wouldn’t want that?
As tech enthusiasts, it’s the same dance every single year with OEMs. “What did HP do to the touchpad? Why is Dell using that crappy keyboard? Does the Lenovo seriously not have any Windows Hello? What’s the throttling like? How much bloat?”
It’s why people like Macs. Apple consistently nails high-quality essentials (e.g., screens, battery life, trackpads, integration, security) and Apple caters to their fans.
EDIT: and simplicity. See what Macs & Surface both choose for us, and damn, it can actually feel reassuring:
- No screen choices. Everyone gets the same best screen.
- No Wi-Fi choices. Everyone gets the same best networking.
- Nearly 0 CPU choices. Everyone gets 1-2 levels of CPU power.
- No storage class choices. Everyone is getting a one type of SSD (no Optane, no QLC / TLC, etc.).
Less chance to screw up and shows some pride in the product. You can’t accidentally pick a bad screen or a weak CPU or slower Wi-Fi in Surface nor Macs. You know exactly what you’re getting.
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I should note, I’ve never bought a Surface device, don’t expect to any time soon, and the episode nailed it: Microsoft sometimes tries too hard to be “different” and it bites itself in the arse. I’m often anxious for the pin to drop: “So what’s the SB1-hinge-like flaw this year? What’s the poor-lapability-compromise Microsoft will needlessly defend as necessary?” At Surface’s high price, Microsoft still introduces its own pain points and, yep, the spell is broken.
At least with HP or Dell or Lenovo, I know repairs will be relatively available, relatively cheap, and 3/4-year extended warranties are sometimes just $100 to $200 when on sale.
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Since 22000.194 has hit Release Preview, I guess we’re officially done. Microsoft seems less excited about Windows 11:
- PC Health Check App released with zero announcement, just two weeks before launch
- Big features MIA: Android app support, taskbar features, multi-monitor
- Still offering Windows 10 for consumer Surface devices, in addition to Windows 11
- Microsoft actively promotes that users can stay on Windows 10 until EOL in 2025
Seems like in a year, what will we think about Windows 11? I think the conclusions are already done: “Fresh coat of paint, unexpected and tough hardware restrictions, and some niceties that make it overall better than 10.” Niceties like fewer updates, less context menu bloat, faster app launching, etc.
In that way, Windows 11 is less like Surface and more like HP / Lenovo / Dell: all the same pain points we’ve had for decades (bloatware, permissions, color management, WoA and all that, little account syncing, not cloud friendly, not crazy power efficient, too many options without enough utility,) but it’s familiar enough and reliable enough.
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I gotta admit, the Surface Duo 2 has me intrigued. So did the 1, but Leo’s review and return of said device told me what I needed to know…
It seems MS wised up and made a much more suitable product. However, I’m waiting to hear on the Pixel Fold. I’m really at the point where I don’t want to leave the Pixel line. Plus, I love having dual SIMs (real and esim).
Also, it’s possible to get USB-C connectors with a magnetic joint in them, which means you can use a standardised cable but still be protected against cable snag incidents:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Sunshot+Magnetic+USB+C+Adapter+20Pins+Type+C&ref=nb_sb_noss
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I stumbled this article recently on Windows 11 readiness in managed environments.
Understanding readiness for Windows 11 with Microsoft Endpoint Manager - Microsoft Tech Community
It has this interesting…screenshot of how many systems could not upgrade to Windows 11–it’s probably / perhaps a mock environment, but if so, Microsoft’s didn’t put Windows 11 in a great light, either.
If you zoom in:
- 24,090 devices
- Only 60% meet Windows 11 hardware requirements
- Hardware blockers (of total 100% devices): 27% / 6600 devices due to CPU family, 17% / 4000 devices due to TPM, and 6% / 1400 devices due to firmware (e.g., old-school BIOS versus UEFI).
To play fantasy system admin, how many large (>10K+ users) managed environments will split active users between Windows 10 and Windows 11? How many years / budget approvals for those 40% of devices to turnover? What’s the resale value of devices that can’t officially upgrade to Windows 11?
But, sure, this could just be a mock / fake environment, but man, 40% of current devices being officially unsupported is also not a good look.
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