Why does Microsoft Surface Book deserve GeekWire Hardware Of The Year Award

Microsoft unveiled the Surface Book last year in October, and the company’s first ever laptop under the Surface brand, completely sold out in the first two weeks from launch, with a $1,499 price tag. Most recently, the Redmond tech giant’s very own Surface Book was voted GeekWire’s Hardware/Gadget of the Year.

Responses from the tech world, as well as general audiences were mixed, with some commenting on the fact that GeekWire’s awards are generally bestowed upon startup companies, and other entities regarded as the “underdogs” of technology. On that note there are quite a few reasons for Microsoft to be worthy of that award.

History

Technology is about innovation and about improving the way we work, communicate, travel and enjoy our free time, among the basic human needs. With that said, there is a widespread belief that larger corporations like Apple or Microsoft, have a tendency to stifle innovation that comes from less privileged sources, to establish marketing dominance, lest we forget that companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, and most recently Tesla, and Uber, were once regarded as the “little guys” with big dreams of changing the world.

Microsoft especially, has often been a company who tried to run before it could walk, with ideas sometimes ahead of their times, like the first inception of the Surface tablet, running its infamous Windows RT, or Microsoft HoloLens, a device that is just a tenth of the way what is expected to be in the years to come.

Design

The hard work, dedications and skills put into the concept and inception of the Surface Book, has been well documented, from the idea behind the dynamic hinge design, to the muscle-wire mechanism controlling the detachable keyboard base, of a device that is both visually stunning, and unique in its range of features.

Both the Surface Book’s base and tablet component are a mere 0.3 and 0.5 inches thick respectively. Filling such a tight space with incredibly advanced components, is an impressive feat, especially in reference to the two sets of batteries and graphic hardware included in the Surface Book, and designed to engage and disengage upon connecting the Surface Book’s keyboard with the tablet component. Extensive work has been put into airflow and heat dissipation, lightweight materials, some of which have been engineered specifically for the Surface Book, like the high-tech alloy used in the muscle wire mechanism, initially developed by NASA engineers.

Hardware specs.

The Surface team has put a great deal of work into making sure that the specs of the Surface Book reflect the needs of its users. The Surface Book’s screen, for instance, is roughly 8.5 inches by 11 inches, and features an aspect ratio of 3:2, and a resolution of 3000 x 2000, which is designed to match the typical aspect ration of a sheet of paper on a clipboard.

The Surface Pen that comes included with the device, has also been described as one of the most advanced stylus devices available, featuring negligible difference from the Apple Pencil, except for its ability to detect the angle of the stylus in relation to the touch screen.

Operating system

Windows 10 is the most advanced, polished and user-friendly Windows operating system, and the only one capable of making use of all the Surface Book’s touchscreen features, as well as the device’s hardware-based security and encryption, provided through Windows Hello, Microsoft’s own biometric recognition technology, which supports the Surface Book’s fingerprint reader.

As a portable device, the Surface Book comes with voice-activated features through Cortana, which greatly enhances the experience, and allows for quicker access to desktop applications, Windows Store apps, and files, both local and in the cloud.

Conclusions

While some of the features mentioned above aren’t exactly new, the Surface Book, like many other comparable products, is greater than the sum of its parts, in that it provides with an experience that leverages the way we interact with technology, and brings it closer to the average user looking for a friendly, familiar way to perform daily tasks, without compromising on security or reliability.