Microsoft officially unveiled its new Surface Laptop running the new Windows 10 S operating system, aiming to take over the classroom.
The company kicked off its May education event at 9:30 a.m. EST on Tuesday, May 2, making exciting announcements aiming to go up against Google's Chrome OS and Chromebooks on the education front.
The Surface Laptop leaked just ahead of the big unveiling, but Microsoft's Panos Panay made it official at the company's New York City event, which is available on live stream for everyone to watch.
Surface Laptop Showcasing Windows 10 S
The new Surface Laptop is a 13-inch device designed to maximize the potential of the new Windows 10 S operating system. Panay highlights that Microsoft designed the new hardware for students who are just about to finish high school.
"We talk to a lot of them ... they're asking for a laptop, they're asking for a Surface laptop," says the executive. "So we built a laptop, and it's beautiful."
A teaser video posted on Twitter shows a sleek design and the Surface Laptop uses the same premium fabric keyboard like the Surface Pro 4 keyboard. The teaser clearly indicates that the device is designed to be a high-end offering to showcase the new OS.
Since it runs Windows 10 S, the Surface Laptop will only be able to run apps from the Windows Store, unless users upgrade to Windows 10 Pro.
The 'Most Balanced Surface' Ever
Microsoft says that it designed the Surface Laptop with two things in mind: refreshing the classic laptop form factor and making a Surface device that seamlessly showcases the best features Windows 10 S has to offer.
"The result is the most personal and balanced Surface we've ever made. This Surface perfectly blends fabric and function, power and portability, beauty and performance," touts Microsoft. "It does all of this without compromising on the things we know are important to higher education students: battery life, display quality, storage, and portability."
In terms of design, the Surface Laptop features a clamshell form factor that makes it a true laptop, as opposed to the Surface Book 2-in-1. The Surface Laptop comes in four color options: burgundy, platinum, cobalt blue, and platinum gold. It's thin and light, weighing less than 3 pounds.
Surface Laptop Specs, Features, Pricing, And Availability
When it comes to specifications, the Surface Laptop sports a 13.5-inch PixelSense display, which Panay says is the thinnest LCD touch model ever made and packed into a laptop. The display has a 3:2 aspect ratio and 3.4 million pixels, and it plays nice with Microsoft's Surface Pen so that users can draw or annotate on the display just like they would on other Surface devices.
The Surface Laptop further packs seventh-generation Intel Core i5 and i7 processors (Kaby Lake), and Panay boasts that it delivers amazing performance. Battery life is also among the highlights, as the laptop should last for 14.5 hours on a single charge.
The device features one USB-A port for data, a mini DisplayPort for external monitors, and the same proprietary power connector found on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, Surface Pro 4, and Surface Book.
The base Surface Laptop model packs a Core i5 processor, 4 GB of RAM, and a 128 GB SSD, but Microsoft will also offer PCI Express SSD of up to 1 TB.
Microsoft says the Surface Laptop embodies the best elements of the Surface family. The Surface Laptop will go on sale on June 15, with a starting price of $999.
Check out the videos below to get a better idea of the sleek new Surface Laptop.
