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On this week’s SyrupCast, Brad Bennett, Jon Lamont and Patrick O’Rourke, once again, talk about Apple’s iPhone 13 and the iPad mini now that both Patrick and Brad have spent time with the respective devices.
Along with the Apple talk, the team also breaks down Microsoft’s Surface event, with Jon offering his thoughts on the Surface Duo 2, Surface Laptop Studio, Surface Pro 8 and more.
As always, you can listen to/watch the SyrupCast directly in this story, or on your favourite podcast platform.
The Surface Laptop Studio likely means the Surface Book is dead.
It’s a sad day for fans of the Surface Book, although I won’t miss it much. The quirky laptop had a unique accordion hinge and let people remove the screen from the keyboard, which was a pretty neat feature. In my time with the Surface Book 3, however, I just really didn’t like the hinge.
Microsoft’s weird new Surface Laptop Studio seems like it could be a worthy successor. Internally, it’s got all the hallmarks of a high-end Surface device with powerful Intel CPU options and Nvidia graphics, just like the Surface Book. But I think the inability to detach the Laptop Studio’s screen from the keyboard completely will make the Laptop Studio a tough sell to fans of the Book.
While this also likely spells the end of the Surface Book line, those interested can still pick one up (at least, for a little longer). Microsoft’s website still has the Surface Book 3 in 13.5- and 15-inch configs, plus it’s on sale.
Only three versions of the 13.5-inch Surface Book 3 are still available, and only in French. There’s an i5 with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD and two i7 models with 32GB of RAM, one with a 512GB SSD and one with a 1TB SSD.
The 15-inch Surface Book 3 is in better shape, with all eight configurations still available on Microsoft’s website.
The discounts range from $500 to $700 off, which isn’t bad. Still, for the top-end 15-inch Surface Book, you’ll be paying almost $4,000 before tax.
Although Microsoft hasn’t confirmed to MobileSyrup what the fate of its Surface Book line will be, I’d say it’s a safe bet that once the current Book 3 models are sold, there won’t be any more, making this potentially the last chance to get a Surface Book.
Microsoft announced several new products at its Surface event on September 22nd. From a revamped Surface Duo 2 to several small but important spec bumps, there’s plenty to be excited about.
Any Canadians out there interested in picking up new Surface devices will be interested to know that everything Microsoft announced is available for pre-order starting September 22nd. Customers can place order through Microsoft’s website and through major retailers like Best Buy and Amazon.
Almost all the new products will be available for purchase starting October 5th — conveniently, the same day that Windows 11 will launch. The exception is the Surface Duo 2, which won’t be available for purchase until October 21st.
You can find the pricing for all the new Surface products below:
You can find all of MobileSyrup’s Surface Event coverage here.
Microsoft unveiled several new devices at its September Surface event, including the all-new Surface Laptop Studio.
What stands out most about Microsoft’s newest laptop is its unique hinge. The Laptop Studio seems to be one part Surface Pro and one part Surface Laptop for one wholly weird device. Users will be able to open and use the Laptop Studio like a typical laptop or adjust the screen to make it comfortable for drawing and even lie it (almost) flat like a tablet.
The Laptop Studio boasts a 14.4-inch ‘PixelSense Flow’ touchscreen with up to a 120Hz refresh rate and a resolution of 2400 x 1600 pixels (201ppi). The Studio retains the Surface line’s classic 3:2 aspect ratio as well.
It runs Windows 11 and sports Intel’s 11th Gen Core H35 i5-11300H or i7-11370H CPUs with 16 or 32GB of RAM. For graphics, customers can configure the Studio with either Intel’s Iris Xe graphics on the i5 or Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3050 Ti on the i7. There are some other options for commercial versions of the Studio.
Additionally, the Laptop Studio sports Microsoft’s new Surface Slim Pen 2 and ‘Quad Omnisonic’ speakers with Dolby Atmos. For ports, the Laptop Studio offers a Surface Connect port, two USB 4.0 ports with Thunderbolt 4 support and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Microsoft highlights the Surface Laptop Studio as a great option for creators, with powerful performance and tools designed for creators to draw, sketch, design, and more.
The Surface Laptop Studio will cost $2,049.99 in Canada and will be available for pre-order starting today on Microsoft’s website. It will go on sale starting October 5th.
Those interested can learn more about the Surface Laptop Studio on Microsoft’s website.
Click here to learn more about the full line of products revealed at the 2021 Microsoft Surface event.
Images credit: Microsoft