Surface Book: Microsoft's eye-watering price isn't putting people off

Microsoft's 1TB Surface Book will set you back a pretty penny

MICROSOFT says its new Surface Book is the Ultimate Laptop – but it comes with the ultimate price tag, too.

 

A listing on the Microsoft Store website has revealed the existence of a high-powered 1TB Surface Book.

But the steep $3,200 (£2,069) price tag will make you wince.

There’s further bad news for those after Microsoft’s shiny new toy as availability is currently only limited to those living in the US.

NewsNewsBlog.blogspot.com previously reported that the Redmond technology giant had stopped taking orders for its first laptop, indicating a high demand for the new device.

But pre-orders have now resumed with the souped-up Intel Core i7, 1TB model listed at $3,199, with delivery expected by 22 Jan 2016. 

 

The 1TB Surface Book isn't available in the UK yet

The entry-level Surface Book will still leave a dent in your wallet, starting things off at $1,499 (£970.46). 

For your money you’ll get a machine running on an Intel i5 processor, 8GB RAM and 128GB of storage. 

And if you were hoping your £2,069 would get you a lot more laptop for the money it looks like you’re going to be disappointed. 

The souped-up 1TB Surface Book is otherwise identical to the rest of the range.

Every iteration of the Surface Book sports a 13.5-inch touchscreen display with a maximum 3000 x 2000 pixels resolution.

At a colossal 267 pixels-per-inch the Surface Book boasts the highest resolution laptop display to-date.

The display can also be detached from the chiclet-style keyboard and used as a lightweight tablet.

 

The laptop transforms into a handy tablet

Microsoft claim the new devices have enough stamina to last up to 12 hours on a single charge.

It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that the Surface Book comes with Windows 10 preinstalled as standard.

In terms of ports and connectivity the Surface Book features two USB 3.0 ports, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, SD card reader, headset jack, and Mini DisplayPort. 

For video calling there’s a 5 megapixel front-facing camera, plus an additional 8 megapixel camera on the rear.

 

Windows 10 comes preinstalled

 

1TB Surface Book costs around £400 more than Apple's MacBook Pro

Two becomes one

With its Surface Book range Microsoft is setting its sights on the hybrid 2-in-1 market. 

But that hasn’t stopped Microsoft from taking a dig at its old rival Apple. Microsoft claims the Surface Book is TWICE as fast as Apple’s MacBook Pro. 

At the time of writing we don’t think that’s very fair on Microsoft’s part, both devices will need to put through their paces before any conclusions can be drawn.

Pricing-wise the nearest-specced Apple MacBook Pro will still set you back $2,499 (£1,617) – making the 1TB Surface Book almost £400 dearer than its Apple counterpart.