Artists get real about Microsoft's Surface Studio
Tech times, they are a changin'.
At Wednesday's Windows 10 event, Microsoft introduced the world to the Surface Studio, the company's first all-in-one Windows 10 PC.
Apparently made with artists and designers in mind, Microsoft also announced an accessory to the Studio: the Surface Dial. Essentially, the dial is a controlling, puck-shaped device that can be placed directly onto the Surface Studio's screen to aid in creation.
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On first glance, all of this looks pretty cool. But we needed to know for sure, so we asked some real Mashable artists for their initial thoughts.
Though the creative minds of Mashable were jazzed about the concept of a drafting table tablet with a high refresh rate and admittedly appreciated the Studio's 192 pixel per inch screen, 1:1 editing, touch controls and pre-set color calibrations, they had some serious concerns.
And please keep in mind, these people literally make art for a living, so their opinions should not be taken lightly.
Based on a brief, unscientific survey of Mashable's art and design team, who are yet to touch the product, we learned that the Surface Studio may have the following artistic flaws:
It seems pretty ~basic~
"Basically. I think this machine is really great for making basic animations and video editing." -- Not-so-basic artist.
"The Microsoft Surface Studio is to computing power for creation as Microsoft Paint is to Photoshop." -- Artist who doesn't use Paint.
Some features don't seem that impressive
"I think it's totally fine, except for the round knob...that looks dumb. It's like they thought, 'Hey, we need another peripheral. Let's make a knob that you slap on the screen, because when people draw they want to hold more than just a pen.' (We don't.)" -- Artist who doesn't want your dumb dial.
"The Surface Studio, the Surface Pro... all fine surfaces for me to rest mouse on while I use my work station to do some real work." -- Artist who can't afford a mouse pad.
"I don't like wireless keyboards or mice." -- Artist who knows what they want.
"Straight up. I can't deal with battery life or with connectivity issues down the line. So give me more ports!" -- Artist low on battery.
"If you were really that good at Photoshop wouldn't you be able to seamlessly switch between tools? Why do I need to pay $100 for some stupid dial?" -- Smart artist.
"The dial seems like a clunky thing to have to lift, hold and use every time you want to make minor adjustments." -- Artist who prefers simplicity.
"The idea of it being so thin is a bit silly. It's going to be sitting on a desk!" -- Size-doesn't-matter artist.
There are crucial unanswered questions
"How many different angles can I work at? I have a lot of questions." -- Give-it-to-me-straight artist.
"It has a mini display port. But no HDMI?" -- Artist who just wants HDMI.
"I'd be curious to see how it feels to draw on a screen with so much glare." - Artist wearing sunglasses.
"Great so the monitor has amazing color. But when I transfer my work to any other computer is the color going to look like shit?!" -- Realist artist.
"You can lean your full body weight onto this?!" -- Gymnast.
And finally, it runs Windows
"I have very little desire, if any, to own a computer that runs Windows." -- Apple fanboy and artist.
Truth
Despite these setbacks, one Mashable illustrator spoke the truth, about the unaffordable-for-an-artist $2,999 price tag. "If Microsoft wants to give me one I will never use a Wacom again." -- Poor artist.
Check the preview out for yourself:
Topics Microsoft
Nicole is a Senior Editor at Mashable. She primarily covers entertainment and digital culture trends, and in her free time she can be found watching TV, sending voice notes, or going viral on Twitter for admiring knitwear. You can follow her on Twitter @nicolemichele5.
