The Microsoft event today features updates to its Surface line of PC products. Starting in 2012 with the original Surface tablet, the line has grown to include the Surface Pro tablet, Surface Laptop, Surface Studio desktop and other models.
The company has announced three major new products already: the Surface Laptop 5, the Surface Pro 9 the Surface Studio 2 Plus all-in one. It also announced new creativity and productivity tools, including an AI-Powered graphic design app. See below for details and how to follow along live now.
How to watch Microsoft’s event
When: The event is livestreaming now. It started at 7 a.m. PT/10 a.m. ET/3 p.m. in the UK on Wed., Oct. 12.
Where: You can watch the livestream on Microsoft’s website. It’s underway now.
The company has livestreamed past events on its YouTube channel, but that doesn’t appear to be the case this year. it hasn’t officially announced a YouTube Livestream yet or posted a placeholder video on the Microsoft YouTube channel.
CNET is also livestreaming the highlights of the event on YouTube (above).
Watch this:
Microsoft Unveils Surface Laptop 5
5:27
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
The new Surface Laptop 5 is very much like the old Surface Laptop 4. Available in 13.5- and 15-inch sizes, the touchscreen laptops get a processor bump from 11th-gen Intel Core to 12th-gen Core chips, which should at least deliver better performance and slightly improved battery life. (There’s no AMD option this time around.) It also moves up to faster DDR5 memory, and its USB-C port now has Thunderbolt 4.
The rest of the package is almost identical to the 2021 models, including its 720p webcam. That’s disappointing since most competing laptops have moved to 1080p cameras for for generally sharper, more detailed video conferences.
Read more about the Surface Laptop 5 here
The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5
Microsoft
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Pro 9 with 5G
For most of its decade-long lifespan, the Surface Pro has maintained a consistent look and feel, with only small tweaks to design, functionality and features. The Surface Pro 9 doesn’t break that chain, instead adding new CPU options and new colors to what I’d call a mature product.
The biggest overall change is that the Intel-powered Surface Pro and the ARM-powered Surface Pro X are combining into a single product line. The Pro X was a spin-off that looked and felt a lot like the regular Surface Pro, but with a custom chip called the SQ, which was a collaboration between Microsoft and Qualcomm, as the Pro X was built for broadband use.
The Microsoft Surface Pro 9
CNET
The first two Surface Pro X generations used chips called SQ 1 and SQ 2, respectively. Now, the ARM-based version of the new Surface Pro 9 uses a chip called – you guessed it – SQ 3. While the Surface Pro X line was built around always-on connectivity, it was still operating on 4G networks. The new version, called Surface Pro 9 with 5G, finally adds 5G support.
The Intel version of the Surface Pro is Wi-Fi only, but adds new 12th-generation Intel processors for better performance. The range of available colors has changed, and now includes Platinum, Graphite, Sapphire and Forest. There’s also a limited-edition special blue floral pattern option for both the tablet and the keyboard cover.
Read more about the Surface Pro 9 here
Microsoft Surface Studio 2 Plus
Seemingly back from the dead — it’s last update was in 2018 — the “Plus” in Surface Studio 2 Plus refers to upgrades to more recent CPU, GPU, ports and wireless. The standout feature of the Studio line has always been the display, though, which in the Surface Studio 2 became a pressure-sensitive, color-accurate 28-inch monitor with a hinge that provides excellent positioning flexibility for design work.
But Microsoft stopped selling that older model at least a year ago, leaving it dormant with 7th-gen Intel CPU and Nvidia GTX 10-series processor. So bringing it back to life necessitated a modernization of the innards, bringing it up to code with an 11th-gen CPU, RTX 3060 GPU and newer ports and wireless.
Read more about the Microsoft Surface Studio 2 Plus here
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