Slim form factor, elegant design, powerful hardware and ultra sharp screen are definitely the makings of the perfect Ultrabook, and Apple's MacBook is one of the best examples that has set the standards of what a well-rounded laptop should be.
The competition has directed itself toward Cupertino's direction, especially for the demographic that it has served. Microsoft has seen this as a challenge and sizzles up an Ultrabook that it should have years ago. Meet the Surface Book, Redmond's first ever laptop set to conquer the world by storm.
Announced at Microsoft's Hardware event today, the Surface Book is a full-sized laptop that can also convert into a tablet when the user sees fit. It comes with a 13.5-inch display that comes with 3,000 x 2,000 resolution, translating into a fine 267 ppi pixel density. The display is bonded to the glass optically, giving it a more sharper imagery.
According to Microsoft, the Surface Book features a machined magnesium body to give it a classy metal look and feel. However, it manages to stray far from the aesthetics of Apple's MacBook due to its features such as what the Microsoft calls a "dynamic fulcrum." This hinge lets the Surface Book flip around its keyboard, but it somehow leaves an akward space when it is fully closed. There's a button on the side that unmounts the display, which detaches from the hinge's top.
Microsoft tags the Surface Book as the ultimate laptop, rightfully so considering the hardware specifications it houses - it is available in Skylake-based Intel Core i5 and a Core i7 Processor, RAM options go from 8 GB up to 16 GB, and storage starts from 128 GB to 512 GB SSD.
What is special about the Surface Book is its discrete GPU in its keyboard dock - an NVIDIA GeForce GPU with GDDR5 memory usable when the tablet itself is docked on to the keyboard, of course.
The Surface Book by Microsoft is now up for pre-orders from the company's official website. The base version comes with a 128 GB SSD storage, 8 GB of RAM and an Intel Core i5 processor, and price will start at $1,499. At the top of the chain is a variant that features a 512 GB SSD storage, 16 GB of RAM, and an Intel Core i7 processor that comes with a price tag of $2,699.00.
