Microsoft's big non-show: A new Surface device and three rehashes
"A moment of your time": that's what Microsoft called its keynote, which took place last night at 10pm Swiss time. And I took it for myself. And for what? No live stream, just a few measly tweets and no design refresh. But there was one surprise.
Somehow, this non-show also makes Microsoft likeable. Basically, such events are nothing more than fucking awesome and magical self-congratulation. But now to the new products that Microsoft unveiled last night in New York.
A little side note:
Oooh yes - of course there are already busy little ants working in the background at digitec to bring all the goodies from Microsoft to Switzerland as quickly as possible. You can already get the new Office today.
Surface Pro 6
The whole web is talking about the new Surface Pro 6, but the device will probably go on sale without the "6" in the name. The biggest innovations compared to the Surface Pro (5):
- Intel quad-core processors of the 8th generation
- Improved battery life (up to 13.5 hours according to Microsoft)
- New matt black colour to choose from
Surface Laptop 2
The new features of the Surface Laptop 2 are basically the same as those of the Surface Pro. Here too, 8th generation Intel CPUs are installed. According to Microsoft, the battery life should be up to 14.5 hours. And yes, there will also be a matt black version. The devices will also come with Windows in S mode, just like the recently launched Surface Go. However, you can upgrade the "trimmed" Windows version free of charge if required.
If you want to know how to exit S mode, I recommend the following review:
Surface Studio 2
For the creatives among us comes the Surface Studio 2, an all-in-one device with a 28-inch display and 50 per cent better graphics performance than its predecessor.
You can get an initial overview of the device in the following video from The Verge:
Surface headphones
And here's the surprise: the previous versions were merely refreshers of the previous models. The wireless grey Bluetooth headphones from Microsoft, on the other hand, are particularly exciting. The over-ear headphones come with a Cortana assistant and not only feature noise cancelling, but also have an automatic pause function. The noise cancelling can even be adjusted to different levels using a rotating ring on the ear cup. Microsoft promises a battery life of up to 15 hours.
If you want to know more about the headphones:
New Office 365 and 2019
The new Office comes in two versions: If you're not a fan of plans, you can get Office 2019. However, paying once and keeping it forever has the disadvantage that you won't receive any version or feature updates. At the time of delivery (today!), the same features are available as with Office 365, but things could change tomorrow.
It's quite possible that Microsoft will quickly deliver new features for 365 customers, as it's common practice these days for manufacturers to try and persuade customers to opt for the subscription version. Or, as in the case of Adobe, even force them to do so. Fortunately, things don't look that bleak for Microsoft.
If you want more Office (feature updates) and to always be up to date in the future, you pay annually for the renewal in the subscription. You can find out which Office version is right for you, your family or your company in terms of price-performance ratio in Randy Stalder's article.
I find my muse in everything. When I don’t, I draw inspiration from daydreaming. After all, if you dream, you don’t sleep through life.