> It’s disappointing to not see any design tweaks<p>Why ? So that manufacturers feel they have to change something, anything, to satisfy spec-only reviewers ? And then we end up with an apple keyboard fiasco ?
For this price and the target market why are they not including TB3 and more ports? They are committed to keeping their users on their poorly designed dock connector when they are is a much better industry standard connector out there.
The most striking issue is that Thunderbolt 3 isn't available for this refresh. Even stranger is that the 15' doesn't have Wifi6 either (because it uses a AMD CPU)?
I always look at the Surface Book and want it to be my next laptop, but I feel like it is a jack of all trades that doesn't really excel in any one area - and therefore, I have a hard time justifying it over other machines.<p>Most powerful Surface ever? Sure, but the Macbook Pro 16" can give me double the cores at a similar pricepoint.<p>Gaming-class GPU? Yeah, but if I wanted a gaming laptop I'd probably want something with an RTX card in it. And if I didn't care about form factor, I'd build a desktop.<p>Detachable tablet? Interesting idea, but this feels highly impractical with the 15" version, which is the model I would get for maximum performance.<p>I think if I was a college student, this would be a fantastic device. A little bit of everything and the ability to type notes in OneNote or handwrite them when necessary. But as my daily driver for productivity, I think there are better options at a similar price point.
The Quatro RTX 3000 Max-Q should make these a nice and slim VR-capable laptop option! Nice change from the heavy bricks we've had to carry around until now.
<i>Sigh</i> is a traditional laptop smaller than an A4 sheet too much to wish for?<p>I just want a Surface Go with a decently-sized SSD that <i>I can hold by the keyboard</i>, and there just doesn't seem to be a machine like that.<p>(Or a Surface Book that is just a bit smaller)
FWIW, I own both the SB1 and SB2, and it's been, hands down, the best hardware I've ever used (and I've been through a lot, including multiple generations of macs).<p>Typing this on my SB2, which weighs next to nothing, is capable of good gaming, has acceptable battery life, and allows me to detach the monitor and use the pen while in client meetings and marking up docs.<p>Best all-around machine ever.
I think the Surface Book design is getting a bit long in the tooth. I don't think it was ever a winner for style, and the hinge and gap are not only strange, but also make it feel like a thick machine for such a premium laptop.<p>I normally love Microsoft hardware design, but the Surface Book is the one device that stands out as needing a change.
The bezels on this (and macbooks) are still SO HUGE.<p>Guess I'm gonna keep recommending that my friends buy XPS's until they figure out that big bezels are ugly.