Microsoft is making sure to beat Apple to the punch when it comes the latest and greatest desktop computers about to be on the market.
Ahead of Apple's anticipated Mac event tomorrow where it is likely to announce a new MacBook Pro with its Touch ID technology and new iMacs, Microsoft announced the expansion of its Surface tablet line to now include a desktop option.
Microsoft took the stage at a press event in New York City on Wednesday to unveil the Surface Studio, a desktop PC that combines the familiarity of the popular tablet while being a completely new kind of desktop for consumers.
The new all-in-one Surface PC has a 28-inch across, and super slim 12.5mm touchscreen display to make it what the company claims to the "world's thinnest LCD monitor."
The PC features 13.5 million pixels to provide a completely immersive viewing experience no matter the angle the user is looking at the screen from. It has a 3:2 display ratio and features "TrueColor" technology aimed at filmmakers and photographers. The tech captures colors accurately and allows creators to switch to see how colors will appear on TVs that don't support certain color specifications.
The Surface Studio is equipped with a quad-core i7 processor, a NVIDIA 980M GPU, 2 TB hard drive and 32 GB of RAM. It also has four USB 3.0 ports, with slots for a SD card, Mini DisplayPort, audio and ethernet cables.
Along with its 2.1 surround sound speakers that are located in the front of the display, the PC also comes with a microphone so that the consumer can use Cortana from across the room to increase their productivity.
Along with being ultra-thin, the main selling point of this new Surface PC is its ability to become a workspace for creatives. The Surface Studio features a hinge (made up of two chrome arms that make up the base) that allows it to be folded down nearly flat with a push. It's ability to change orientation transforms it from being just another desktop PC to essentially a large tablet, as the desk turns into an art studio with the desktop becoming a virtual piece of paper or creative space.
Introducing Microsoft Surface Studio. Turn your desk into a Studio with a brilliant screen for your ideas. #MicrosoftEvent pic.twitter.com/oqCDOlP9OW
— Surface (@surface) October 26, 2016
This feature is ideal for marking up Word documents or creating 3D content with its update to the Paint app that is now being called Paint 3D.
This means the touchscreen on this PC also works with the Surface Pen, but Microsoft also announced a new gadget called the Surface Dial, which is a creative tool that works on the screen of the Studio and triggers menus like screen brightness or scrolling—ideal for artists, designers, architects and the like.
Microsoft's Surface Studio has a retail price of $2,999. Preorders for the new PC start today, with the computer to be released "in limited quantities" this holiday season.
