Microsoft shows the world how to reimagine computers
By Abhijit Asad
If someone had mentioned even a decade ago that Microsoft would be making the most exciting out-of-the-box computer of 2016, they would have been laughed out of town by the reigning tech gurus of the time — and with good reason, too. At that time, Microsoft had been submerged in an era of deep stagnancy and mediocrity, owing largely to substandard management and a crippling lack of vision. Yet, here we are, staring in awe at the Microsoft Surface Studio, which makes Apple’s horribly designed new Macbook Pro look like a laughable toy in comparison.
In all fairness, the Surface Studio is something we would not have expected to emerge from Microsoft’s labs. Although Microsoft has been working on their own tablets and hybrid laptops (the Surface Pro and Surface Book ranges) for a while now, people’s reception to them has been relatively lukewarm; they have not achieved ubiquity the way iPads and Android tablets have. While they remain huge favorites for many artists, they scratch a rather niche itch, so to see a computer as bold as the Surface Studio emerge as the next evolutionary step of the Surface range is a stunning and pleasant surprise.
From a distance, the Surface Studio looks like a large 28” screen mounted on a small rectangular base on a pair of metal stilts. While that description may not sound terribly flattering, the device looks absolutely gorgeous, with subtle angles and straight lines carefully designed to reflect a conscious deviation in fashion from the ever-so-popular round corners and smooth curves that have infected general design trends of consumer electronics for years now. There is no separate system unit as the innards of the computer are all built into the rectangular base and the screen. Parallels may be drawn at this point between the Apple iMac and the Surface Studio regarding the lack of a separate tower housing the components, but that is as far as the similarity goes.
Despite its minimalistic design, the Microsoft Surface Studio is not a glorified fashion accessory. The device is powered by a beefy 6th-generation Intel Core i5 or i7 CPU, coupled with a generous 8 to 16 GB of RAM, at least a terabyte of storage space, and a powerful Nvidia graphics card of the GTX 900M range (unfortunately, the GTX 1000-series offerings didn’t manage to make it to this one, but this reviewer believes they are going to show up in the next Surface Studio along with 7th-generation Intel CPUs). Microsoft has spared no effort in creating an ideal environment for Windows 10 to run at its smoothest on this machine.
If all these technical specs mean nothing to you, allow me to translate; while it’s not as powerful as a custom-built full-sized desktop PC, it can run rings around any iMac in terms of power, and the additional GPU muscle grants it the ability to run many 3D design applications as well as games and other applications which take advantage of the GPU’s additional processing power (these include many members of the lauded Adobe Creative Cloud family of productivity software).
But the real magic of the Surface Studio isn’t about impressive performance or high-end components. It’s all about the screen. What, why did you think they call it a Surface?
While the Studio can be used just fine as a normal desktop computer using the classy-looking mouse and keyboard bundled with it, the real fun begins when you plant your fingers on the screen and apply a gentle but firm push. Remember those earlier mentioned metal stilts, which are connecting the screen to the base? Those are actually meticulously designed hinges that tilt the screen backward and lower it to an angle that is perfect for touch-based and pen-based operations. Whether you are going to paint a lush landscape, work on an intricate architectural draft or sculpt a complex 3D model, there is no finer way to do this.
The technology and experience is taken to yet another level when we factor in the optional (but essential) peripheral called the Surface Dial, which looks like a silver hockey puck at first glance; placing it on the screen instantly evokes new user interface features, such as a radial menu with quickly accessible options, as well as the ability to rotate the dial and change parameters such as color on the fly while your other hand continues to paint away. Microsoft is working with a massive number of software partners to make the integration of the Dial a relevant and useful thing for the users. The preliminary demonstrations of the Dial working its magic in various programs have been all but terrific, and the implications of this level of real-time control in this field are staggering. The Dial also works with the Surface Pro and Surface Book devices in the same way, so it’s not just tethered to the Surface Studio alone.
The screen’s high pixel density and rich color reproduction, combined with its amazing touch-sensitivity and the added layer of control introduced by the Surface Dial often evokes a feeling of the man-machine interface becoming blurred, with the user working seamlessly with the software and the hardware, achieving a degree of effortless artistic synergy that has perhaps never been achieved to this extent.
It should be noted that the Surface Studio is not cheap, with prices starting from $2,999 and going all the way to $4,199, and that without the Dial (which costs an additional $99) – but if you are an avid digital artist and content designer, consider this the device worth selling one of your kidneys for. It’s not for everyone, and that’s where it’s true beauty lies. It is a machine that requires you to be worthy enough to utilize it to its fullest potential, which tends to go quite far indeed. On the other hand, if you are looking for a table top fashion accessory for occasional Facebooking, maybe you are going to fare better with one of the new iMacs instead.
