MIcrosoft's First Laptop

Microsoft has stepped up its game when it comes to manufacturing devices with the new Surface Book convertible laptop, the company’s first laptop. This laptop-tablet combo is larger than previous versions of the Surface line with a 13.5 inch display and a full-sized backlit keyboard.

The keyboard attaches with what Microsoft calls Muscle Wire and stays securely attached, but you can instantly detach it by pressing a button.

You can use it as a laptop, detach it to use as a large tablet or fold back the keyboard to use the pen-first mode.

The display features a 3000 x 2000 (267 PPI) resolution. The Surface Book is capable of running demanding desktop apps and comes with a 6th generation Intel Core i5 or i& processor.

At nearly 3.5 pounds (including the keyboard) this seems hefty in comparison to lighter Surface models, but for a workhorse PC, the metal laptop is fairly light. The laptop even features a dedicated graphics card for graphics intensive programs like video editors. Interestingly enough, that extra graphics chip lives in the keyboard, so when you disconnect to use it as a tablet, you lose some of the intensive processing capabilities. Though the tablet should work fine for gaming or watching movie. This chip is meant for work.

It’s available with 128 GB, 256 GB or 1 TB of internal storage for the solid state drive. It also features two full-sized USB ports and a card reader. The front facing camera is 5 MP and the rear facing 8 MP camera features auto focus.

Unlike previous Surface models, this comes with everything. The PC, keyboard and Surface Pen are included in the box. With the additional purchase of a Surface Dock you can connect it to monitors in a workstation setup.

It doesn’t come cheap. The starting price for the Surface Book is $1499. But if my experience with my Surface Pro is any indication, Microsoft’s hardware is worth it. The Surface Book is available for pre-order now from Microsoft.