2016-11-01

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It’s the all-in-one PC of your dreams. This is Microsoft's Surface Studio

Michael Grothaus

14:49, 1 Nov 2016

Move over iMac. There’s a new all-in-one PC we’re lusting after–and it’s made my Microsoft. Announced at the Windows 10 Devices Event on October 26, 2016, the Surface Studio is the company’s Surface line brought to the desktop. Though aimed at creative professionals, the Surface Studio is sure to appeal to those who are looking for a desktop powerhouse with all the latest bells and whistles thrown in. But more than just a product achievement, the Surface Studio is an important milestone for Microsoft–proving the company can actually innovate again–something its main competitor Apple has been struggling doing in recent years. Here’s everything you need to know about the Surface Studio.

Microsoft Surface Studio: What Is It?

The Surface Studio is a touchscreen all-in-one PC based off the company’s Surface brand of laptops and tablets. It’s a 28in monster with full touch capabilities–something people have been wanting Apple to do with the iMac for years. Apple’s excuse was always that a touch screen computer didn’t make ergonomic sense because of the “gorilla arm” problem: holding out your arm for more than a few minutes would tire the user. Microsoft got around this problem by designing the Surface Studio so its display could be pulled down to a 45º angle over the desktop, making it no different than a tablet you work on at your desk.

Microsoft Surface Studio: Display

Speaking of that display…the thing is a MONSTER. It’s a huge 28in PixelSense Display with 4500 x 3000 resolution at 192ppi and allows for ten concurrent points of multitouch. Ten! The display also features built in palm recognition, so it knows when you are resting your palm against it and will ignore the touch (great for when you are using a pen tool against the display). The display works with the Surface Pen, which has an insane 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity. Yeah, this thing is every graphic artist’s dream. The 13.5 million color screen hovers over the base of the Surface Studio on a hinge that makes the display feel weightless–yep, you can move it with just a single finger.



Microsoft Surface Studio: Specs

Microsoft didn’t cheap out on the specs when they designed the Surface Studio’s internals. Every Surface Studio features a 28” PixelSense Display with 192 dpi resolution, 10 point multi-touch, and 3:2 aspect ratio. You’ll have the option of choosing a 1TB or 2TB Rapid Hybrid Drive; 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB RAM; and a 6th Generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor. Graphics card choices include an i5 Intel 8GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M with 2GB GDDR5 memory, an

i7 Intel 16GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M with 2GB GDDR5 memory, or an i7 Intel 32GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M with 4GB GDDR5 memory.

Input/output includes 4 USB 3.0 (one high power port), a full-size SD card reader, a Mini DisplayPort, a 1 Gigabit Ethernet port, and a 3.5 mm headset jack. Wireless is 802.11ac and Bluetooth 4.0. The Surface Studio runs Windows 10 Pro. It also includes a Surface Pen, Surface Keyboard, and Surface Mouse. And there is also one new optional accessory…



Microsoft Surface Studio: The Surface Dial

This is probably the coolest thing about the Surface Studio. The Surface Dial is a brand new accessory that takes the form of a round dial that can be placed on the screen of the Surface Studio to perform different actions including scrolling, zooming, adjusting the volume, switching color palettes and more. The Dial also provides haptic feedback, so you feel subtle vibrations in response to your actions. The Dial is sold separately for $99USD, but customers who preorder a Surface Studio by December 1 will get the Surface Dial for free.

Microsoft Surface Studio: Price And Release Date

The Surface Studio isn’t on sale yet, but it’s coming soon. You can preorder it now and it will ship in early 2017. But keep in mind the Surface Studio is a PC designed for professionals–and it has a professional price.

The entry level Surface Studio starts at $2,999USD and goes all the way up to $4,199 if you max out all the specs. Still, for those that want the future of PC today, the price is a small thing to pay.

Microsoft

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Microsoft Surface Studio

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