The Surface Book has a lot of things MBP doesn't: Speed is not one of them.

[Adamantoise]

I agree, LOL. I don't think either device will be "crushing" the other in performance. However the MBP does crush the surface book in value assuming you don't need a stylus.

Honestly, this is just the truth. Most users do not NEED a laptop that can double as a stylus and has an active digitizer. However, most people certainly do want it.

Surface Book is a great machine, but for all my touch screen needs, my Surface 3 does the job. If I want a laptop, I'd be going with a conventional form factor. It's just right for me (and most people), I'm surprised how many people have deluded themselves into thinking they need a Surface Book.

 

[Queen6]

Honestly, this is just the truth. Most users do not NEED a laptop that can double as a stylus and has an active digitizer. However, most people certainly do want it.

Surface Book is a great machine, but for all my touch screen needs, my Surface 3 does the job. If I want a laptop, I'd be going with a conventional form factor. It's just right for me (and most people), I'm surprised how many people have deluded themselves into thinking they need a Surface Book.

Simple answer, your usage does not meet others. I can see the utility in the Surface Book for my own usage/workflow. For others the Surface Book may well be exactly the system they been waiting for.

Don't decry diversification, as it only results fewer options. Manufacturers bringing new ideas to the table is never a bad idea, as their product will stand or fail on it`s own merits. No one needs a Surface Book, nor a Surface Pro, or for that matter a Mac and the difference is?

Q-6

 

[Essenar]

Simple answer, your usage does not meet others. I can see the utility in the Surface Book for my own usage/workflow. For others the Surface Book may well be exactly the system they been waiting for.

Don't decry diversification, as it only results fewer options. Manufacturers bringing new ideas to the table is never a bad idea, as their product will stand or fail on it`s own merits. No one needs a Surface Book, nor a Surface Pro, or for that matter a Mac and the difference is?

Q-6

This doesn't change the fact that the reviews are making a direct attempt to deceive the general public.
The MacBook being compared has the entry level i5 and specs, which means that no, for the same price, the Surface Book is not faster.

Making a "subjective" claim that the Surface Book is better, based on the other qualities it offers (touch screen digitizer and stylus pen) or the objective claim that it has better GPU performance is one thing.

But making an objective claim that the Surface Book is faster than all variants of the MacBook Pro 13 line regardless of price, is factually incorrect. Are you really not understanding it?

Review put $1800 Surface Book up against $1300 MacBook Pro 13 (Look at the specs, the i5 compared is from the $1300 MacBook).

So I will simplify it for you:
MacBook (i5-5257U) is $1300 vs Surface Book (i5-6300U) $1500 (No discrete graphics) - MacBook is faster in almost every metric with a very slight GPU disadvantage.
MacBook (i5-5257U/16) is $1500 vs Surface Book (i5-6300U) $1500 (HD 520) - Again, Mac is faster for the same price, with double the memory.
The only price where it makes a difference is $1800 ~ $1900, where the Surface Book picks up the GeForce, albeit paired with a very paltry 128GB SSD and 8GB of ram. The MacBook will have 16GB, an i5-5287U at 2.9 GHz at that price and 256GB of storage. So while the Surface Book with 8GB, i5-6300U and GeForce will be faster in GPU based performance, the MacBook would dust it in every other category: memory capacity/speed, storage speed, CPU speed.
From $1900 ~ $2300, the Surface Book is a better performer in all categories except memory capacity, where the MacBook will have 16GB.
But at $2500, it's no contest if you accept a 15". The 15" MacBook Pro at $2500 is faster and more equipped in every metric at $2500. It has a quad core i7, 16GB of memory, a much better discrete GPU and much faster storage.

What makes this review completely dishonest is that they shamelessly put a $1900 laptop up against a $1300 MacBook and made the blanket claim that it was faster. You can't put a $60,000 Lexus IS-F up against a BMW 328i and then claim the entire Lexus IS line is faster than the 3 series.

Again, do NOT bring up the digitizer or pen, those are FEATURES, not PERFORMANCE. Please look up the definition of performance as many times as it is necessary for you to understand why claiming that the Surface Book's PERFORMANCE with a price delta of $600, is objectively completely better than the MacBook Pro is not only dishonest, but false.

 

[Potatochobit]

SURFACE BOOK is the SAME PRICE AS AN IPAD
and you are comparing it to a 2500$ macbook pro top-of-the-line model?

I hope you sleep better at night, now.

AND I LOVE my little windows 10 tablet thing, it's great.
you can watch MKV and true AC3 support.... not that macs have that....

 

[Queen6]

This doesn't change the fact that the reviews are making a direct attempt to deceive the general public.
The MacBook being compared has the entry level i5 and specs, which means that no, for the same price, the Surface Book is not faster.

Making a "subjective" claim that the Surface Book is better, based on the other qualities it offers (touch screen digitizer and stylus pen) or the objective claim that it has better GPU performance is one thing.

But making an objective claim that the Surface Book is faster than all variants of the MacBook Pro 13 line regardless of price, is factually incorrect. Are you really not understanding it?

Review put $1800 Surface Book up against $1300 MacBook Pro 13 (Look at the specs, the i5 compared is from the $1300 MacBook).

So I will simplify it for you:
MacBook (i5-5257U) is $1300 vs Surface Book (i5-6300U) $1500 (No discrete graphics) - MacBook is faster in almost every metric with a very slight GPU disadvantage.
MacBook (i5-5257U/16) is $1500 vs Surface Book (i5-6300U) $1500 (HD 520) - Again, Mac is faster for the same price, with double the memory.
The only price where it makes a difference is $1800 ~ $1900, where the Surface Book picks up the GeForce, albeit paired with a very paltry 128GB SSD and 8GB of ram. The MacBook will have 16GB, an i5-5287U at 2.9 GHz at that price and 256GB of storage. So while the Surface Book with 8GB, i5-6300U and GeForce will be faster in GPU based performance, the MacBook would dust it in every other category: memory capacity/speed, storage speed, CPU speed.
From $1900 ~ $2300, the Surface Book is a better performer in all categories except memory capacity, where the MacBook will have 16GB.
But at $2500, it's no contest if you accept a 15". The 15" MacBook Pro at $2500 is faster and more equipped in every metric at $2500. It has a quad core i7, 16GB of memory, a much better discrete GPU and much faster storage.

What makes this review completely dishonest is that they shamelessly put a $1900 laptop up against a $1300 MacBook and made the blanket claim that it was faster. You can't put a $60,000 Lexus IS-F up against a BMW 328i and then claim the entire Lexus IS line is faster than the 3 series.

Again, do NOT bring up the digitizer or pen, those are FEATURES, not PERFORMANCE. Please look up the definition of performance as many times as it is necessary for you to understand why claiming that the Surface Book's PERFORMANCE with a price delta of $600, is objectively completely better than the MacBook Pro is not only dishonest, but false.

Then Microsoft`s hardware is not for you, nor is being condescending an admirable trait. The independent reviews I have read and watched generally place the Surface Book slightly ahead (computationally) of the current 13" rMBP, equally they also state that it`s highly likely that the 13" rMBP will recoup this performance advantage as it naturally moves to the Skylake platform, of which I tend to agree.

If outright performance is your only concern then this is the wrong place, as nether the 13" rMBP or Surface Book accomplish this very well, equally they both excel in portability. Pricing is academic, people will pay for what they believe brings value to them, equally differences are to be expected, due to usage, workflow, personal taste and budget. My current rMBP`s & rMB work for me, as would a Surface Book or Surface Pro, it`s not like I would be compensated less for using Windows, nor is the cost of either intimidating.

The features of the Surface Book are exactly what differentiates it from other portables, not it`s outright performance. For some the inclusion of a dGPU in the 13" form factor is significant feature, combined with utility of the "Clipboard" equally this needs to be proved in time. That being said I rather suspect that those who are purchasing the Surface Book know what they are getting into.

Time to look in the mirror, we are talking about subjective like`s and dislike`s of a Notebook, not deep philosophical meanings. For some the Surface Book will undoubtedly add to their workflow, others it may detract, much the same can be said for Apple`s PC line up & OS.

There are many things, that I don't personally care for, equally I can see that they can and do offer utility & benefit to others as their needs, usage & workflow varies to mine, thinking otherwise, can only be considered to be trite, and to some extents rather childish.

FWIW I don't believe I have directly quoted any review on the Surface Book, nor stated that the Surface Book is any means faster than the current rMBP, personally my mind is open, although not entirely convinced. My interest in Surface is the increased utility, however there is clearly a trade off with the additional complexity of Windows.

tl;dr my toy`s better, than your toy, I need my Mommy.

Q-6

 

[maflynn]

why claiming that the Surface Book's PERFORMANCE with a price delta of $600, is objectively completely better than the MacBook Pro is not only dishonest, but false.

You seem rather worked up over this. All I can say is to move on. Who cares of reviewers are dishonest. Personally I disagree with your assessment in general. In particular there will be instances where a reviewer writes something to justify his agenda. That happens with windows products and apple products. I think if you realize this, it may help reduce the irritation that you seem to be feeling towards this.

 

[Adamantoise]

Simple answer, your usage does not meet others. I can see the utility in the Surface Book for my own usage/workflow. For others the Surface Book may well be exactly the system they been waiting for.

Don't decry diversification, as it only results fewer options. Manufacturers bringing new ideas to the table is never a bad idea, as their product will stand or fail on it`s own merits. No one needs a Surface Book, nor a Surface Pro, or for that matter a Mac and the difference is?

Q-6

Not exactly sure what you're saying here. I'm echoing the sentiment that the MBP offers more value than the Surface Book (assuming you don't need the touchscreen and clipboard etc.)

Merely saying most people's needs will suffice with a conventional laptop form factor.

 

[maflynn]

Not exactly sure what you're saying here. I'm echoing the sentiment that the MBP offers more value than the Surface Book (assuming you don't need the touchscreen and clipboard etc.)

I'd say that both machines offer value. Clearly you're slanted towards the MBP and there's nothing wrong with that but that doesn't mean everyone will feel the same was as you

 

[Adamantoise]

I'd say that both machines offer value. Clearly you're slanted towards the MBP and there's nothing wrong with that but that doesn't mean everyone will feel the same was as you

Well I actually do like the Surface Pro line, I own a Surface 3 myself. It's just for my use case (i.e. engineering via MATLAB/Simulink and editing pictures in Adobe Lightroom) ... Having a touchscreen doesn't really bring anything to the table.

I get that people are excited for the Surface Book but I feel a lot of people just want it because it's new. Very few of us are digital artists or actually require the niceties that the Surface Book brings to the table. I also feel like the entry price could be lower if they offered a machine in the traditional laptop form factor.

 

[fieldsphotos]

Well I actually do like the Surface Pro line, I own a Surface 3 myself. It's just for my use case (i.e. engineering via MATLAB/Simulink and editing pictures in Adobe Lightroom) ... Having a touchscreen doesn't really bring anything to the table.

I get that people are excited for the Surface Book but I feel a lot of people just want it because it's new. Very few of us are digital artists or actually require the niceties that the Surface Book brings to the table. I also feel like the entry price could be lower if they offered a machine in the traditional laptop form factor.

I agree, the Surface Book is a pretty niche machine geared towards artists, photographers, etc. I believe they had a fairly vocal subset of Surface users that wanted a "laptop" Surface, so the market might be bigger than I thought.

I am a photographer, so very glad to see some machines coming out to better cater to my needs versus just buying a MacBook Pro, which was the go-to machine in the past. Vaio actually just released a super-hybrid that is completely geared towards creatives with a stylus screen and the internals of a 15" MBP for editing power. It also has a wide-gamut panel for color accuracy. And weighs the same as the Surface Book which is much less than the 15" MBP. I am taking a VERY hard look at it right now.

It's very cool to see all the new stuff, and the competition is a good thing.

 

[Queen6]

I agree, the Surface Book is a pretty niche machine geared towards artists, photographers, etc. I believe they had a fairly vocal subset of Surface users that wanted a "laptop" Surface, so the market might be bigger than I thought.

I am a photographer, so very glad to see some machines coming out to better cater to my needs versus just buying a MacBook Pro, which was the go-to machine in the past. Vaio actually just released a super-hybrid that is completely geared towards creatives with a stylus screen and the internals of a 15" MBP for editing power. It also has a wide-gamut panel for color accuracy. And weighs the same as the Surface Book which is much less than the 15" MBP. I am taking a VERY hard look at it right now.

It's very cool to see all the new stuff, and the competition is a good thing.

Definitely good to see more options coming on the market;

VAIO Z Canvas Review

Surface Book Review

Surface Pro 4 Review

Q-6

 

[Queen6]

Am impressed; Quad Core performance in a 12.5" tablet form factor, once VAIO update the Canvas to Skylake this is going be an extremely compelling product; $2599 for the 16Gb 512 PCIE SSD

One to watch for sure, superficially it really does look like the Canvas can replace the Desktop, Notebook and Tablet. My use is would be in an engineering environment, I also travel internationally frequently so having the equivalent performance of a 15" rMBP in this form factor is a no brainer for me. Will be seeking more reviews, that is certain.

Q-6

 

[Essenar]

Then Microsoft`s hardware is not for you, nor is being condescending an admirable trait. The independent reviews I have read and watched generally place the Surface Book slightly ahead (computationally) of the current 13" rMBP, equally they also state that it`s highly likely that the 13" rMBP will recoup this performance advantage as it naturally moves to the Skylake platform, of which I tend to agree.

If outright performance is your only concern then this is the wrong place, as nether the 13" rMBP or Surface Book accomplish this very well, equally they both excel in portability. Pricing is academic, people will pay for what they believe brings value to them, equally differences are to be expected, due to usage, workflow, personal taste and budget. My current rMBP`s & rMB work for me, as would a Surface Book or Surface Pro, it`s not like I would be compensated less for using Windows, nor is the cost of either intimidating.

The features of the Surface Book are exactly what differentiates it from other portables, not it`s outright performance. For some the inclusion of a dGPU in the 13" form factor is significant feature, combined with utility of the "Clipboard" equally this needs to be proved in time. That being said I rather suspect that those who are purchasing the Surface Book know what they are getting into.

Time to look in the mirror, we are talking about subjective like`s and dislike`s of a Notebook, not deep philosophical meanings. For some the Surface Book will undoubtedly add to their workflow, others it may detract, much the same can be said for Apple`s PC line up & OS.

There are many things, that I don't personally care for, equally I can see that they can and do offer utility & benefit to others as their needs, usage & workflow varies to mine, thinking otherwise, can only be considered to be trite, and to some extents rather childish.

FWIW I don't believe I have directly quoted any review on the Surface Book, nor stated that the Surface Book is any means faster than the current rMBP, personally my mind is open, although not entirely convinced. My interest in Surface is the increased utility, however there is clearly a trade off with the additional complexity of Windows.

tl;dr my toy`s better, than your toy, I need my Mommy.

Q-6

That's fine, but don't make the headline of a post like that, "Surface Book: 11 times faster than entire MacBook Pro Line!"

It brings illegitimacy to technical journalism.

If you're going to base speed or performance in the title of your review, it needs to be objective or not exist.

The title should be, "Surface Book competitive with MacBook Pro, with much more added versatility!"

Or something along those lines. I'm not denying that the Surface Book has a lot more features than the MBP for people who need that kind of stuff (stylus, digitizer, etc) but the Surface Book isn't faster in a direct comparison. The MacBook Pro is WAY faster all the way up to $1800, where the first discrete GPU makes an appearance in the line. That means that from $1300 to $1800, the Surface Book isn't faster at all...

 

[Queen6]

That's fine, but don't make the headline of a post like that, "Surface Book: 11 times faster than entire MacBook Pro Line!"

It brings illegitimacy to technical journalism.

If you're going to base speed or performance in the title of your review, it needs to be objective or not exist.

The title should be, "Surface Book competitive with MacBook Pro, with much more added versatility!"

Or something along those lines. I'm not denying that the Surface Book has a lot more features than the MBP for people who need that kind of stuff (stylus, digitizer, etc) but the Surface Book isn't faster in a direct comparison. The MacBook Pro is WAY faster all the way up to $1800, where the first discrete GPU makes an appearance in the line. That means that from $1300 to $1800, the Surface Book isn't faster at all...

Am lost with you, it`s not my review, nor do I care what hardware is faster than others, I only care that it`s fast enough for my needs/workflow. If you have such a problem with the statement, respond to the authors, no one else likely cares.

Personally I am looking at something that is significantly more powerful than what both Apple & Microsoft offer in the 13" PC space. I simply want the best available, to improve my productivity, for the first time a long time Apple is not the first choice, and that`s on them.

Q-6

 

[Acorn]

the surface pro 4 is much more interesting imho anyway. >throws surface book down the toilet