As a 90s kid, the word COMPUTER often rings a bell of the answer that was deep drilled into the left hemisphere our heads and repeatedly scribbled over those horizontal lines during what we well knew as a ‘test’.
“A computer has four main parts, they are:
- Monitor
- C.P.U
- Keyboard
- Mouse”
Taking it further because we needed that extra mark…
“Monitors are of two types, black & white monitors and colored monitors. The monitor displays the instructions that we give to the computer. Drawings or pictures on the monitor are drawn with the help of tiny dots called pixels. Monitor also helps in getting information from the computer.”
Well… so much for the left brain’s logic and understanding (and also the marks this fetched us). For nearly 40 odd years desktop computers have had the same old, cold and boring appearance. Although the numbers of wires visible to our eye have been minimized, desktops never quite succeeded to attain the popular chic look.
After years of partnering with hardware giants such as Dell, HP, and Lenovo, I relentlessly delivered a fleet of Windows-ed desktops and laptops. Microsoft stepped in with its Surface Pro range four years ago and ever since then, there has been no looking back.
Revolutionizing the desktop experience and bringing sheer delight to the right brain, the all-new Microsoft Surface Studio is just what creativity desires most – an unconfined user experience!
Appearance
Right from the time, it is unboxed, the chick and super-sleek Surface Studio is a personification of the term ‘premium’. With a 28-inch PixelSense touch screen display, the Windows PC offers a screen that folds all the way down to a low drafting table angle of 20 degrees.
A pair of classy chrome hinges and an aluminum base mount the screen and make bending the Studio’s display up and down, practically effortless. At the base is a slim box where all the hardware is located. This mini PC however has some serious specs.
Smooth to touch, seamless to work with and simply stunning in its overall appeal, this Studio from Microsoft has given Apple a serious match. The only piece of branding on the device is the mirrored windows logo at the back.
Weighing a mere
D-factors
- The 28-inch screen with its 3:2 aspect ratio allows thins to be seen as they are. You could hold an A4 sheet of paper against it and check for yourself that what you see on screen is what you will see in reality
- The big display directly translates to ‘MORE ROOM FOR CREATIVITY’
- The presence of a 5-megapixel camera for videoconferencing along the front face, right near an IR camera for fast logins using Windows Hello
- The Surface Dial – a wireless knob that beautifully transforms the usage of the studio. It brings much-used/needed tools to the user at a slight spin of the knob
- The top-end model includes a 2.7GHz Core i7 6820HQ CPU, 32GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD and 2TB HDD, and an NVIDIA GTX 980M graphics with 4GB of VRAM which makes this beauty synonymous to SPEED & UNMATCHED PERFORMANCE
Specifications
Display
Screen: 28″ PixelSense Display
Resolution: 4500 x 3000 (192 DPI)
Color settings: sRGB, DCI-P3, and Vivid color profiles, individually color calibrated
Touch: 10-point multi-touch
Aspect Ratio: 3:2
Surface Pen
Zero Gravity Hinge
Processor
Quad-core 6th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7
Graphics
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 965M 2GB GPU GDDR5 memory or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M 4GB GPU GDDR5 memory
Storage
Rapid hybrid drive options: 64GB SSD with 1TB HDD, 128GB SSD with 1TB HDD, 128GB SSD with 2TB HDD
Memory
8GB, 16GB, or 32GB RAM
Wireless
Wi-Fi: 802.11ac Wi-Fi wireless networking, IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n compatible
Bluetooth: Bluetooth 4.0 wireless technology
Xbox Wireless built-in3
Dimensions and weight
Display: 25.09 x 17.27 x 0.44 in (637.35 x 438.90 x 11.4 mm)
Base: 9.84 x 8.66 x 1.26 in (250.00 x 220.00 x 32.20 mm)
Weight: 21.07 lbs max (9.56 kg)
Connections and expansions
4 USB 3.0
Full-size SD card reader (SDXC compatible)
Mini Displayport
3.5mm headset jack
Compatible with Surface Dial onscreen interaction1
Cameras
Windows Hello2 face sign-in camera 5.0MP front-facing camera with 1080p HD video
Audio
Dual microphones
Stereo 2.1 speakers with Dolby Audio Premium
3.5mm headset jack
Buttons and keyboard
Physical buttons: Volume and power
Surface Pen
Surface Keyboard
Surface Mouse
Security
TPM chip for enterprise security
Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello2face sign-in
In the box
Surface Studio
Surface Pen
Surface Keyboard
Surface Mouse
Power cord with grip-release cable
Thumbs Down!
- Lacks the ability to officially support VR headsets. So for all those virtual artists such as game programmers and 3D modelers, this may seem like a big disappointment.
- The price makes a point – it’s not for all! Let’s face it how many of us are actually willing to shell out a whopping $4000 (top-end model)?
- The hardware is provided for the price could’ve been better.
- No upgradability
Performance
It claims to have the thinnest LCD that has even been created at 1.3 mm and a 12.5mm monitor, with a tone of work that went into it. So use it upright to sketch, read, work or design, else slide it down to become the most lustrous drawing table with brilliant colors that will delight your eyes by all means.
Credit for this goes to the 10-bit color depth and 13.5 million pixels of true-to-life color and clarity. Unleash your imagination onto this masterpiece and watch them shape like never before. With a 4500 x 3000 (192 dpi) resolution, the 3:2 aspect ratio of the desktop monitor reportedly produces better environments and space for reading and writing.
The chrome hinges reflect the surroundings and almost disappear as you begin to focus on your work, while the premium Dolby Audio allows you to immerse yourself in a world of your choice.
Easing the drawing process, Microsoft offers the add-on purchase of its Surface Dial. This puck-like device has been powered by two (AAA) batteries, and it’s designed to be another form of input and can be used on any Windows 10 machine with Bluetooth. However, when you put it to the task at the new Surface Studio, it feels like a match made in heaven.
Apprentices of the new Microsoft Studio are the Surface Mouse and Keyboard. Although these are just an advancement of Microsoft’s existing wireless range they sure do add delight to the user’s experience.
The base is small, yet accommodates four USB 3.0 ports, an Ethernet jack, a Mini-Display Port connection, a headphone jack, and a full-sized SD Card Reader.
The overall configuration advances the PC to a whole new level provides seamless, fast, and unconfined usage unleashing maximum shaping your thoughts into pictures that indeed speak a thousand words…or those that will leave you speechless. Albert Einstein once said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun”. So for those with a passion for creativity, Microsoft Surface Studio defines fun and is capable of addicting you to it!
