14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft today launched the new Surface Laptop and Surface Pro in 25 markets across the world, after previously announcing the two devices during May events.
Microsoft’s Surface models are often positioned as rivals to Apple’s own devices, and while the Surface Pro is a competitor to the iPad Pro, which also got a refresh recently, the Surface Laptop is an alternative to the Apple MacBook, especially because it’s based on a more conventional laptop form factor.
Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Surface boss, announced today that a Surface Pro with LTE would also launch later this year, while also revealing that the Surface Studio expands to new markets, including Austria, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.
Surface Laptop and Surface Pro
The Surface Laptop is Microsoft’s more premium device aimed at educators, coming with Windows 10 S and offered in four different colors, namely Burgundy, Cobalt Blue, Graphite Gold, and Platinum. Though the device comes with Windows 10 S, and thus is limited to apps in the Windows Store, buyers can upgrade it to Windows 10 Pro by December 31 without paying a single cent.
Furthermore, whoever buys a Surface Laptop right now also gets a one-year subscription to Office 365 Personal and 1TB of free storage on OneDrive. The offer runs for a limited time, with no other specifics available at this point.
The Surface Pro is also launching today, and Panay used this occasion to praise its capabilities, emphasizing that it can provide a battery life of up to 13.5 hours per charge. This time, the device runs Windows 10 Pro, so it’s not limited to Store apps.
Since it has a touchscreen and a detachable keyboard, it can also be used with a Surface Pen, and Microsoft has improved this accessory too, now featuring 4096 pressure sensitivity levels.
Pricing for the Surface Laptop and Surface Pro varies by market and you can check out the official Microsoft Store in your country to see how much you have to pay for both of them.
