14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft's Surface Book, which the company calls the ultimate laptop, is living proof that the Redmond-based software giant can also build high-end devices, despite the criticism coming from a number of analysts and event partners who believe that it should stick to building Windows and Office.
The Surface Book is indeed a premium device that comes with the best in terms of hardware, as the top-of-the-range model features an Intel Core i7 processor, 16 GB of RAM, and 1 TB of storage space. And that's exactly why Microsoft believes that partners shouldn't be affected by the fact that it's building its own hardware: it focuses on high-end and expensive devices, while partners can build a wider variety of laptops and tablets.
But according to a report by Digitimes, Microsoft's partners, including companies such as Asus and Acer, feel pressured by the new Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 and try to build their high-end devices themselves in order to make sure that they do not lose ground in this side of the market.
“Competitiveness in the segment”
While most companies believe that competition is good because, in the end, customers would get better products and higher quality, it's no secret that many do not agree with Microsoft's new direction that turned it from friend to foe overnight.
Tackling the high-end market, however, is not the kind of thing that all PC makers can do, and Microsoft knows this very well, but this doesn't necessarily mean that OEMs can't try to build better products.
Lenovo, for example, has recently launched its Yoga 900 13 Windows 10 premium convertible, a device whose price starts at $1,199 (€985) and too comes with advanced hardware, such as 16 GB of RAM, 512 GB of storage, and Intel i7 processors.
Time will tell if OEMs can compete against Microsoft, but there's no doubt that this whole battle in the high-end device business is exactly what customers need to get better value for the money.