Looks like some spec updates in October (USB-C, surely) and possibly a new black Pro and Laptop: https://www.thurrott.com/hardware/174868/exclusive-new-surface-pcs-are-back-in-black
Studio should get refreshed, too - it’s getting long in the tooth.
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Surface Devices
- Thread starter Dave245
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Studio should get refreshed, too - it’s getting long in the tooth.
Thanks for that.
Oooh, black.
If no Studio update, I'll probably get a Black SP if offered.
Cripes when did I become so superficial about my tech?!? 
Why isn't there Thunderbolt on any of the Surfaces? Not even the Book 2!
Would be an attractive eGPU option.
Thanks for that.
Oooh, black.
If no Studio update, I'll probably get a Black SP if offered.
I am the same way. I always wanted a really deep (almost black) blue, but black with the chrome or even copper logo would look good
I'll be watching that one, I like Microsoft's hardware events
Q-6
It will be interesting to see what happens, Apple might be holding an October event as well. This event could pitch the two against each other when it comes to the iPad Pro and the Surface, it really will depend what each brings to the table.
Surface for me, not really interested in the mobile OS these day's. Apple may have some other hardware, but doubt it will strike much if any any interest.
Q-6
Nope, with a surface you get an decent laptop and average tablet experience. It’s still a compromise.
Oh so it's still better at being one than the other? i love using my iPad as it's a great tablet but on the flip side i also love using a full desktop like MacOS. I've never used the Surface as a tablet so i don't know what it can do in that respect, my experience is in store only.
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I have the 2017 iPad Pro, don't get me wrong it's a great tablet and it works for a lot of things i want to do, drawing and editing photos in Pixelmator or Affinity Photo is great especially with the Apple Pencil. My only gripe is using it to replace my 2011 MacBook Pro (it recently died) just doesn't get there like i hoped it would, long writing sessions are a no go and it just doesn't have the same productivity that MacOS has.
At this point i'm considering a number of options but it will depend on what happens at the October events for both Apple and Microsoft, i may decide to try out a Surface (the only issue is getting past my distain for Widows past) or i may decide to upgrade my iMac and keep the iPad Pro as a simple companion, if however Apple update the MacBook Air with a retina display and thinner bezels that might be a viable option. At this point everything seems like a compromise.
Not really down on IOS or Android for that matter, just need a desktop OS for my needs. I'll likely pick up a Surface Go in the near future to throw in my bag while out & about.
As for the Mac, I need the performance class of the 15"MBP, equally my primary W10 notebook by far outperforms and I'm fine with the additional size & weight. MBP would be a significant downgrade in performance & usability for marginal increase in portability, although the battery life would be welcomed.
Q-6
That’s the point I think that Apple are missing, they could hover up market share like there’s no tomorrow if made a Surface Pro competitor, not everyone wants a mobile OS (like IOS and Android) some want a full desktops experience in a tablet form factor.
I’m not sure about the performance aspect, I’m not exactly a tech wizard when it comes to specs. I do know that the 13” MacBook Pro 2018 has a quad core processor which I think is impressive for its size and weight. The 15” now has 6 cores which seems impressive in a laptop.
17" primary is a good 25% - 30% stronger than the 15" MBP as it doesn't thermally throttle and can if needs be hold 3.9GHz on all six cores.
I would simply be trading off a good deal of performance for basically the aesthetic and the Apple factor, and unfortunately the gap is simply too much these day's especially when the system is a factor of revenue...
Had I wanted a smaller format I'd likely have opted for the 15" version of my Asus as it too performs.
Q-6
As far as I'm concerned given my crap luck with iPads (except for the Mini 4), iOS is only somewhat usable on the iPhones right now. So annoyed my 2018 iPad is acting up in a fashion similar to the now sold 12.9 iPad Pro. I have no time to run to Apple again and have them tell me nothing is wrong. So I'll hope that iOS 12 will fix the bugs in Safari and hopefully move onto a Surface.
The only iPad I'd buy now is a replacement for my Mini 4. Like my 7+, it's the only iOS device that did not freak out 1-11 months in. I think I'm done with iPads (famous last words) as they're not worth the trouble, and certainly not the expense.
So I'd rather have a full blown OS on something like a Surface or a Mac equivalent (IF Apple bothered to hire more engineers and reinstate the Mac OS team. I still cannot believe Cook dissolved that team).
The only iPad I'd buy now is a replacement for my Mini 4. Like my 7+, it's the only iOS device that did not freak out 1-11 months in. I think I'm done with iPads (famous last words) as they're not worth the trouble, and certainly not the expense.
So I'd rather have a full blown OS on something like a Surface or a Mac equivalent (IF Apple bothered to hire more engineers and reinstate the Mac OS team. I still cannot believe Cook dissolved that team).
He did what? I didn’t know that, so now there’s no MacOS team? Who makes the software such as this years Mojave? I have to say I’m looking forward to Mojave this year it looks like a great update.
Mac hardware does seem to be taking a back seat, the only update that’s been made this year so far was for the MacBook Pro’s, they had their own issues as well.
Sadly, Macs have have taken a back seat for years. Mojave does look decent.
Hi, here’s the 2016 Bloomberg article about the MacOS being dissolved and absorbed into the iOS team. It certainly explains the embarrassing security lapses in MacOS in the last 18 months to say nothing of how bug filled High Sierra and iOS 11 are.
Knowing that, I suppose this one team created Mojave? I do not know.
That Apple has to interview Pros about what they want in new desktops is unfortunate. I know computer sales have shifted, but you cannot lead a horse to water especially when the water doesn’t have what the horse needs (iPads work for some, but not everyone as Cook hoped).
I will be delighted if the upcoming Mac Mini isn’t gimped and slapped together with glue.
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Wow that is unfortunate, they should of kept the two teams!
What’s very interesting in that article is they mention a “skinny MacBook with a finger print reader that wasn’t ultimately released” that’s the exact same thing that Ming Chi Kuo said in his report Apple will release later this year.
https://www.macrumors.com/2018/09/10/kuo-september-2018-predictions/
“The new low-price MacBook may replace the position of the current 12" MacBook. We expect this new model to support the Touch ID but it will not have the Touch Bar. Everwin Precision is the main beneficiary because it is the first time this company will enter the Mac casing supply chain and its shipments account for 20% of the new MacBook model's D parts.”
It will be interesting to see what Apple release, probably at an event next month.
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Agreed on the two teams. We’ll see what October brings from MS and Apple.
Without being too nit-picky about specs the SP4/SP held it's own against the majority of Apples Laptop line-up other than the highest end until recently, when they got a spec bump.
It's likely if the SP also gets a CPU spec bump next month then it will resume this same position which is why I always think it's daft that it's even compared to an IPP
As ever more pro Apple users will state the 2 in 1 are a compromise when in fact its a choice that is simply not offered by Apple which is worse compromise given their solution is 2 devices not even using the same OS
for those that require a more diverse solution to just a clamshell laptop
Without being too nit-picky about specs the SP4/SP held it's own against the majority of Apples Laptop line-up other than the highest end until recently, when they got a spec bump.
It's likely if the SP also gets a CPU spec bump next month then it will resume this same position which is why I always think it's daft that it's even compared to an IPP
As ever more pro Apple users will state the 2 in 1 are a compromise when in fact its a choice that is simply not offered by Apple which is worse compromise given their solution is 2 devices not even using the same OS
You make a good point. The equivalent of Microsoft doing that would be like restricting the Go and Pro to Windows S only and forcing you to also buy a Surface Laptop or Surface Book if you wanted a full Windows Laptop experience.
LOL
Yes Apple have some amazing policies to help you buy more eg AW and only IP/IPP is a NO or multiple users on an IP/IPP is a NO and that's before we even talk about native apps that are not cross platform
I am actually a bit confused by Apples road map. Like the new iPhone is so powerful some claim you do not need a tablet or a laptop yet you do, same for IP/IPP or other peripherals as there always some major omission in Apple hardware. All that potential bottled up is a shame at least Samsung with Dex is trying
I always thought it was a shame MS screwed up windows CE and more recently there other phone attempts but if Andromeda comes to fruition then it will be interesting even if it just looks like this, let alone dual foldable screens
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I never even thought about that aspect of the IPP, but you are right. My wife and I each have one. No creating separate accounts and sharing the device with multiple users. Yet we are able to share the Surface Pro by "adding a family member" and she has taken it a few times to meetings. You can also add "other people" and assign limited access to them.
It will definitely be interesting to see where Andromeda goes and whether or not it is successful. But at least MS is looking at some innovative devices and seemingly willing to take a risk.
It will definitely be interesting to see where Andromeda goes and whether or not it is successful. But at least MS is looking at some innovative devices and seemingly willing to take a risk.
Ok so it's called Surface Connect port. The Surface Dock doesn't have Thunderbolt
Seems like some kind of alcantara material is used next to track pad. Does it hold up against fading and stains? Is there water resistant coating on it (liquid droplets instead of absorbing in)?
Ok so it's called Surface Connect port. The Surface Dock doesn't have Thunderbolt
Seems like some kind of alcantara material is used next to track pad. Does it hold up against fading and stains? Is there water resistant coating on it (liquid droplets instead of absorbing in)?
The Alcantara still looks good on mine after 13 months. I do clean it occasionally with an inferior/Alcantara cleaner I picked up at local auto store. A little foam on a microfiber cloth. I think the bottle was about $7, should last for a couple of years as little as I use.
Microsoft claims it already has a high performance polyurethane coating to resist spills. I wonder if it could be freshened up with Nikwax Nubuck & Sued Proof spray?
It never seems to get more than a little damp when I clean it and dries fast.
As ever more pro Apple users will state the 2 in 1 are a compromise when in fact its a choice that is simply not offered by Apple which is worse compromise given their solution is 2 devices not even using the same OS
It's a great point, personally i think Apple should make a hybrid with the iPad Pro having MacOS Mojave it would be great and eliminate the need for many of us to buy laptops. In my house we are deep in the Apple ecosystem, we have iPhone's, iPad Pro's, Mac's, Home Pod, Apple TV and Apple Watch. Most of the devices are not an issue, i've just ordered the Series 4 Apple Watch to replace my original and i still love iPhone IOS over anything Android has, however my issue is with Apple seemingly trying to make people buy both a laptop and an iPad OR in Tim Cooks idea to buy an iPad to replace the laptop.
I know Apple could make a Surface style device, hell i'm not event asking for a touch screen Mac (the one product from the Surface line i don't like is the Surface laptop, who needs touch on a laptop?) BUT a hybrid device that's similar to the iPad Pro but with MacOS would make a killing for Apple i think.
Apple will never bring a Surface type product to market as they want you to purchase as many separate devices as possible that you have to keep replacing. Only thing Apple is doing is making the Mac yet another time limited product
Surface Book is the type of device I always imagined only Apple could bring to market, ironic that it was Microsoft who delivered.
Q-6
How is the Surface Book 2 fan noise compared to tbMBP? Especially the 1060 gpu.
I've never heard rMBP and tbMBP max fan noise in a quiet setting, only my cMBP but if it's quieter like the newer MBP than that's reassuring.
Still in limbo if I should get an Apple or Windows laptop. Gave up on Mac Pro by building a PC six months ago.
One other thing I wonder is Microsoft's warranty & repair. How fast and efficient is it?
Luckily, there are two MS stores I can go to from home but none in Europe/Asia. Am I SOL without a store nearby?
I can bring my MBP into the Apple store, they send by 1-day shipping, and than they can drop ship it back to my home.
I've never heard rMBP and tbMBP max fan noise in a quiet setting, only my cMBP but if it's quieter like the newer MBP than that's reassuring.
Still in limbo if I should get an Apple or Windows laptop. Gave up on Mac Pro by building a PC six months ago.
One other thing I wonder is Microsoft's warranty & repair. How fast and efficient is it?
Luckily, there are two MS stores I can go to from home but none in Europe/Asia. Am I SOL without a store nearby?
I can bring my MBP into the Apple store, they send by 1-day shipping, and than they can drop ship it back to my home.