As predicted, Microsoft did reveal its new Surface Studio at the big press shindig in New York, and pre-orders kick-off as of today over in the US, with the machine costing $2,999 (around £2,450, AU$3,920).
That is, of course, a more than sizeable chunk of cash – so what do you get for all that money? The all-in-one has a 28-inch PixelSense display (with a 3:2 aspect ratio), offering 192 pixels per inch in terms of sharpness (with 13.5 million pixels on display in total - 63% more pixels than a 4K TV).
That nifty touchscreen is driven by an Intel Core i7 processor backed up by a GTX 980M mobile GPU.
This 28-inch LCD, by the way, is the “thinnest monitor ever built”, Microsoft boasted, with it measuring 12.5mm.
It also boasts impressive color accuracy chops, with a ‘TrueColor’ system which is supposed to render the deepest, most vivid colors possible, and allows for users to switch from DCI-P3 to RGB color spaces with a simple tap of the screen.
The machine has a ‘zero gravity hinge’ which allows the screen to easily transition from ‘desktop mode’ to ‘studio mode’ – in the latter it’s positioned at a 20-degree angle, the same as a standard drafting board.
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Dialing it up a notch
Obviously this is a device built for professionals and serious creatives, which Microsoft notes will “transform the way you create and think about creating”.
The PC has an integrated camera which is compatible with Windows Hello, and it also boasts a microphone array for giving commands to Cortana, which Microsoft reckons will be an important part of helping you stay productive.
Surface Studio also supports the Surface Pen (with the screen offering palm rejection), and a new gadget Microsoft revealed called the Surface Dial (pictured above), which can be placed on the screen and used to select options from circular menus just like, well, a dial – certainly a novel idea.
While pre-orders are now live, Microsoft says that over in the US shipping will only start in limited quantities this Christmas period, with wider availability expected early next year.
- So what else did Microsoft reveal today? Check out the full lowdown here
