Surface Book 2
I’m back to say I was wrong, and I’ve found a machine that not only matches Apple’s standard of hardware quality, but goes far beyond it to demonstrate how a laptop of the future should work.
That machine is the 15-inch Surface Book 2 and somehow Microsoft has made the 2-in-1 that Apple should’ve been building all along, to the same level of quality I’d expect from anyone other than Microsoft.
I’ve used the Surface Book 2 as my daily computer for three months now and it’s consistently blown me away with how well considered it is across the board, how great the software works and has completely converted me into the touchscreen laptop camp.
Update (2018-07-04): Marco Arment:
The Huawei Matebook X (the one with the pop-up camera in the function keys) looks and feels like it’s an entire generation ahead of Apple.
13.9” 3000x2000 screen, almost no bezel, in the same size and weight as the 13” MBP. A nice-feeling low-travel keyboard. 2 USB-C, 1 USB-A.
If this ran macOS, I’d buy it in a second.
The Surface Book 2 is also the real deal. Massive 15” 3:2 screen, detachable to a great-feeling tablet with a great pen that stows easily.
Touch/tablet-hybrid laptops aren’t just the future — they’re the present. Apple’s either being coy about future products or is in denial.
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> which are often either disappointing or downright deal breakers
Lots of WIndows laptops now have keyboards that are better than the new Mac Book Pro's, and trackpads that feel well enough, and have *actual buttons", instead of the "it's amazing this works at all" trackpad setup of the post-button MacBooks. The problem is not that there aren't Windows laptops with great keyboards and trackpads. The problem is that you don't know. If you order a Windows laptop online, you're basically playing roulette. Maybe it has a great keyboard and trackpad. Maybe it's practically unusable.
[…] I have enjoyed reading Owen Williams in-depth review of the experience he’s had with his Microsoft Surface Book 2 (hat tip to Michael Tsai for linking to it on his blog). […]
Another good quote:
“The biggest stumbling point for PC makers has traditionally been the trackpad and keyboard, which are often either disappointing or downright deal breakers for those looking to switch away from a MacBook.”
This paragraph really puts a point on how Apple seems so incredibly intent on throwing away that advantage from a keyboard perspective.