Pre-Ordering Surface Laptops: Bringing Advanced Graphic Design to the Mass-to-Mass Era, Where Do We Stand?
No matter which Surface Pro 9 you buy, you’ll be treated to an updated version of our favorite 2-in-1 laptop, sporting a great display, versatile design and a superb keyboard and stylus experience for those willing to splurge on accessories. You may not be as happy with your choice of notebook if it’s the wrong one.
The Surface Laptop starts at $999 for the 13.5-inch version and $1299 for the 15 inch. Pre-orders begin for Surface products on Wednesday in select markets and start hitting shelves later this month.
With a more difficult economic environment including high inflation and fears of a recession, Microsoft could be harder to convince customers to upgrade their devices to three- or four-figures.
The Surface Pro 9 has the exact same display as last year, which is a good sign. The 120Hz refresh rate makes my mouse glides smoothly around the screen, and I can see the many hours of sports I watched on the device look colorful and crisp. The Pro 9’s top and bottom display borders are still a little chunkier than I’d like (especially coming from the near-seamless iPad Pro), but it still packs an excellent screen — and one that really comes to life when you put a pen to it.
David McQueen, an analyst at ABI Research, said that Microsoft hardware devices are between 3% and 5% of the market. Instead, the bulk of its revenue comes from Microsoft OS across different device types and associated applications and cloud services.
The Microsoft designer app and image creator were released on wednesday to bring advanced graphic design to mainstream audiences. The platform is dependent on a partnership with startup OpenAI and the DALL-E 2 tool, which can generate custom images. DALL-E 2 will be joining Microsoft’s Openai Service.
Brands are increasingly using DALL-E 2 for both ads and product inspiration, according to Microsoft. In a blog post, the company detailed how toy company Mattel sought out DALL-E 2 to conceptualize how future cars may look, such as by changing colors and typing “make it a convertible,” among other commands.
The Presenter+, Speaker, and Charge Dock for OpenAI’s Visualization System, and How to Get Your Word Out of Disguise
The ability of these systems to automate image making and the open ended nature of them has raised concerns in the field that they could be used for bias on a massive scale. In previous test of OpenAI’s system, for example, typing in “CEO” showed images that all appeared to be men and nearly all of them were white.
Microsoft said it is examining the concerns seriously. Inappropriate text requests will be denied by Microsoft’s servers, according to the company, and users will ultimately be banned for repeat offenses.
Anyone with presentations in Microsoft Teams can benefit from The Presenter+, it’s designed for them. It can be used to join meeting rooms during video calls. When you have to do a presentation, you can use the Presenter+ to cycle through slides and direct your coworkers toward specific content with the screen pointer. There’s also a dedicated Teams button that allows you to raise or lower your hand. Microsoft claims you’ll get up to six days of battery life on a single charge. The speaker costs $80.
The Audio Dock comes with speakers (complete with a 15-watt woofer and 5-watt tweeters), microphones, and a pass-through PC charger all in one compact design. With four ports, including an HDMI, two USB-C, and a USB-A, you can use it to plug in up to two monitors and charge your phone without cluttering up your desk. Microsoft says the dual forward-facing mics also help with noise reduction, and there’s a mute button for video calls. The Audio Dock will set you back $250.
Overview of the MS Hardware and Software for People with Limited Mobility: Clipchamp, Creative, and Create, and a One-Year WIRED Account
Back in May, at its annual Ability Summit, Microsoft unveiled new PC hardware for people with limited mobility, set to be released later this year. Those adaptive accessories will officially be available starting October 25. The lineup includes devices like an adaptive mouse, a programmable button, and a hub to connect them to a PC wirelessly. You can read more about the hardware here.
For video makers, there’s Clipchamp—a video editing software acquired by Microsoft back in September 2021. It’s accessible via a web browser in Windows 11. Finally, there’s also a new website called Microsoft Create. You can create graphic designs, videos, and presentations with all of the tools that are available in one place.
Get a one-year WIRED subscription for $5 and you can get a $25 discount. unlimited access to WIRED.com and print magazine is what this includes. Subscriptions help fund the work we do every day.
The Surface Pro 9 and Slim Pen 2 Revisited: Getting Used to a Surface, a Pencil or a Paintbrush?
The design of last year’s model of the Surface Pro 9 is the same as this year. Its aluminum body feels sturdy yet lightweight, its flexible kickstand allows it to morph from a laptop to a nearly-flat drawing canvas in an instant and for the first time, the tablet comes in a few fun colors. I was happy that my review unit came in the same colored silver as the others, but I was displeased that the new options looked so great in photos. I am pleased to see the Surface Pro 9 have a few more options, despite the iPads Pro being limited to shades of silver. I’m also just a sucker for blue.
The Microsoft keyboard still feels amazing, even with the magnetic snap, bouncy keys and soft-touch coating that kept my wrists comfortable throughout long hours of typing. I like that the keyboard has a little space up top for the Surface. Slim Pen 2. Not only does this charge the stylus and keep it neatly out of sight when you don’t need it, but it’s also a more secure solution than magnetically hanging the pen on the side, like on the iPad Pro.
I tested the Pro 9 with a $130 Surface Slim Pen 2, which offered the best stylus experience I’ve had on a tablet. Microsoft’s premium pen packs advanced haptics inside, which do a good job simulating the tactile feel of whatever virtual tool you’re using, be it a pencil or a paintbrush. No artist, but doodling on the 13-inch slate on Microsoft felt great and much more enjoyable than using a stylus on an iPad or an S Pen on a Tab. I also appreciate that the Slim Pen 2 has physical programmable buttons on the front and rear, which I found more reliable than the tap-based controls on the $129 Apple Pencil 2 for doing things like changing tools and undoing actions.
The Surface Pro 9’s 1080p webcam is just fine, producing crisp selfies that were on par with the Dell XPS 13 and a little less clear than the MacBook Air M2. It got me through routine video calls without issue, and its integrated Windows Hello functionality allowed me to easily log into my machine with a quick face scan. The Pro 9 has a dull rear-facing camera which is not as good as the average phone, but I wonder how many people are taking photos with a 13-inch iPad in their hands.
There is no reason for you to upgrade your Surface Pro 8. Microsoft released a new device with a new choice ofProcessors, some new colors and fewer ports than the previous model, but this is the same device as before. The Pro 9 is the same as before, but it doesn’t have the headphone jack or a Surface Connect charging port, so you will have to use headphones or a 3.5mm device for charging. While that trend is becoming common amongst mainstream tablets and laptops, you still get a headphone jack on the latest MacBooks, and Dell at least throws in a free adapter with the jack-less XPS 13.
The Surface Pro 9 ships with Windows 11, Microsoft’s recently released operating system that brings a much-needed visual refresh to Windows alongside a wealth of useful multitasking and general quality-of-life improvements. The problem is, it’s very much designed for a mouse and keyboard, making the Pro 9 not so great as a standalone tablet
If you want a good Windows laptop at a good price, the Dell XPS 13 gives you more for the money without the need for additional accessories. And if you’re primarily after a powerful tablet that can make for a decent laptop replacement, the iPad Pro (starting at $800) is unrivaled in terms of performance. I’d also strongly recommend considering last year’s largely similar and often discounted Surface Pro 8 (starting at $800), which isn’t quite as fast but has the benefit of a headphone jack. But for everyone else willing to pay up for the best detachable Windows laptop around — particularly for drawing and sketching — the Surface Pro 9 is as good as it gets. If you configure it properly, of course.