Kicking it up a notch
Microsofts been selling its Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book systems for several weeks now, but if you wanted to max out the hardware configuration on either one, you were previously out of luck. Not anymore.
The most powerful versions of both systems are now available to purchase in the United States and Canada, provided you have the requisite coin to bring one home.
Starting with the new top-end Surface Book configuration, Microsoft is making it available online-only at its Microsoft Store and through select retailers. It runs $3,199 and boasts a 13.5-inch display with a 3,000x2,000 resolution powered by an unspecified Intel Core i7 processor based on Skylake, 16GB of RAM, 1TB solid state drive, and discrete NVIDIA graphics.
The Surface Book is essentially the laptop version of the Surface Pro. Its a detachable 2-in-1 device that comes standard with a keyboard. It also features a pair of full-size USB 3.0 ports, full-size SD card reader, headset jack, mini DisplayPort, 5MP (front) and 8MP (rear) cameras, 802.11ac Wi-Fi connectivity, a few other odds and ends.
As for the Surface Pro 4, the new top-end configuration is available in Microsoft Stores (online and offline) and via select retailers. A fully loaded setup runs $2,699 and features a 12.3-inch display with a 2,736x1,824 resolution, Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of memory, and 1TB SSD.
Microsoft pitches the Surface Pro 4 as a tablet that can replace your laptop. As a tablet-first device, it has a few less features than the Surface Book, such as a single USB 3.0 port instead of two and a microSD card reader rather than a full-size SD card slot.
The availability of higher end configurations isnt all that Microsoft added today, it also boosted its inventory with a new gold Surface Pen thats available in the U.S., Canada, Denmark, Finland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
"The new gold Surface Pen makes a bold statement as a colorful complement to your Surface that’s also a powerful tool for both creativity and productivity. When used with your Surface Book or Surface Pro 4, it offers 1024 levels of pressure sensitivity for the ultimate writing and drawing experience. The gold Surface Pen also includes the Surface Pen Tip Kit so you can further customize the experience of taking notes or drawing on your Surface," Microsoft says.
All three items are available today.
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