Microsoft Takes on AIO PCs With Surface Studio

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The Microsoft 2016 Surface Event 2016 was, predictably, all about the Surface line-- with the headliner being the Surface Studio, an AIO PC with a four-point hinge turning the display into a tabletop touchscreen.

Surface StudioThe Studio is an impressive machine, with a 28-inch 4500 x 3000 resolution display within a minimalist design. Inside are an Intel Core i5 or Core i7 quad-core CPU, Nvidia GeForce dGPU, up to 32GB RAM and 2.1 surround sound system. A single cable provides power, while cabled connectivity comes through x4 USB 3.0 sockets, ethernet and a headphone jack. The included peripherals, namely the keyboard and mouse, are wireless.

One can also pair the Studio with the same stylus used by other Surface devices, the Surface Pen-- which is where tilting the display back makes most sense, since it turns the machine into a virtual arts canvas. Microsoft also offers the "Surface Dial," a curious hardware jog wheel able to handle a variety of context-based tasks.

Customers with a fondness for the Surface Book were not left out in the event, mind-- the Microsoft laptop-tablet hybrid gets a sequel in the shape of the Surface Book i7, a refresh featuring, shockingly enough, a Core i7 CPU. It also gets a faster GeForce GTX 965M GPU, a second cooling fan and a larger battery promising up to 16 hours of use on a single charge.

Also revealed by the company is a bevy of perhipherals, the most interesting being a Surface Ergonomic Keyboard. Reminiscent of any number of curvy ergonomic keyboards, it is wireless, runs on a pair of AAA batteries and has a comfy Alcantara palm rest. Other accessories seen at the event include a backlit Surface Keyboard, a Surface Keyboard with a fingerprint reader and a Surface Mouse with a metal scroll wheel.

All the above mentioned Microsoft products should hit the market by end Q4 2016.

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