There was a lot of news coming out of Microsoft today including a shift into catering to the creative market. Microsoft focused on various software and OS updates but the big news was the company's firm focus on creating its own hardware. While the Surface Pro 4 from last year remained generally unchanged (although the pricing went down in certain markets), the Surface Book has been refreshed with twice the performance, 16 hours of battery life and a price of CAD $at $3,129 ERP.
The biggest news was the Surface Studio, Microsoft's take on the 2-in-1 computer and its answer to Apple's 5K iMac. Featuring a floating display that Microsoft says is the thinnest at 12.5mm thin, connected to a mini-desktop.
"Surface Studio is a new class of device designed for how people naturally create and bring ideas to life. The 28-inch PixelSense™ Display immerses the user in 13.5 million pixels of pure, true-to-life color, and the Zero Gravity Hinge allows the screen to effortlessly adjust to each stage of the creative process. When the screen transitions from Desktop Mode to Studio Mode, it sits at a 20-degree angle, the same angle as a standard drafting board, making it ideal for sketching, writing and designing," Microsoft explained. Price of this new desktop is US $2,999 that can go up to US $4,199, it currently isn't even available for preorder in Canada as of this writing.
Is there a market for an expensive 28-inch computer that you can draw on, in certain segments such as design engineering, 3-D video, animation and graphic designers but pricing will keep it rooted at the high end. Time will tell if the Surface Studio will make an impact or be dead on arrival in this very competitive PC industry.