Microsoft Surface Book: The ultimate laptop

Microsoft is moving swiftly to address complaints aimed at both the Surface Book and the Surface Pro 4. In response to user complaints on its support forums, the company has said it is working to resolve problems ranging from random crashes to boot problems and battery being drained when in hibernation mode.

In its short tenure as a hardware maker, Microsoft has become the defacto trailblazer for Windows-running devices. It all started with the lofty promise that its Surface tablet could replace your laptop. We were skeptical about it three years ago, but after the Surface Pro 3, Microsoft nearly perfected the formula and showed veteran computer manufacturers how hybrids should be made.

Now, Microsoft introduces the Surface Book as the “ultimate laptop.” Like the Surface tablets before it, this laptop takes a unique spin on the notebook format that’s been around for over 40 years. Between the 3:2 aspect ratio, 13.5-inch screen and its practically-trademarked “dynamic fulcrum” hinge, there isn’t any machine on the planet like the Surface Book – and then, with the touch of a button and a gentle tug, it becomes a tablet.

It all sounds like an amazing idea on paper, and with the added “holy shit, Microsoft made a laptop” factor, the Surface Book sounds like a thoroughly amazing device. Let’s see just how well Redmond made good on the hype.

Design

If a tear in the space-time continuum were to suddenly rip open, two things would fall out: the Terminator and then the Surface Book quickly tumbling to the Earth behind it. From the snake-like hinge, the flat design and even down to the washed-out silver color of this laptop, everything about it just seems like it came from the future.

Milled from two solid blocks of magnesium, the Surface Book feels sturdy and has a most minimalistic style unto its own.

From keyboard deck to the palm rests, the entire interior of this laptop is one flat surface of metal, save for the large space reserved for the glass touchpad. Similarly, the screen lid is made of one uninterrupted slate of magnesium, with its only extra flourishes being a mirror-finished Windows logo in the center and a rear-facing camera.

Along the chiseled sides, you’ll find two flat edges that start from the top of the display and terminate at the tip of the palm rest. That’s not the only seamless transition.