Microsoft takes on Apple with more powerful Surface Pro 6 and Surface Laptop 2
Microsoft just put Apple on notice with its new Surface devices.
The company showed off a new Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2, and Surface Studio 2 during a press event in New York on Tuesday. All three devices deliver significant performance boosts, and are available in a new matte black finish.
The new Surface Pro 6 -- Microsoft apparently opted to go back to numbered names for its Surface line -- has notable upgrades from last year's Surface Pro. The first Surface to come with a quad-core processor, it's 67 percent more powerful than its predecessor, according to Microsoft, and will get up to 13.5 hours of battery life. It weighs just 1.7 pounds.
The Surface Pro 6, available now for pre-order, will start at $899 and ship Oct. 16. In addition to the new matte black color, it's available in silver.
Microsoft's Surface Laptop received similar upgrades in power and efficiency. The Surface Laptop 2 is 85 percent faster, according to Microsoft, with battery life clocking in at 14.5 hours.
It also has the "thinnest touchscreen display on any laptop," according to Microsoft Surface chief Panos Panay.
The Surface Laptop will also be available Oct. 16, and will start at $999. It's available for pre-order now in four colors: silver, black, red, and blue.
Finally, Microsoft unveiled an updated Surface Studio 2. Much of Microsoft's improvements went toward the display, which is now 38 percent brighter and has 22 percent more contrast.
It will also come with up to 2 TB of SSD storage, and supports "next-gen" Pascal graphics. The Surface Studio 2, available now for pre-order, starts at $3,499 and ships Nov. 15.
And, in a surprise twist, Microsoft also revealed its $350 Surface Headphones, which bring Cortana to your ears.
If you need help paying for all the new Surface gadgets, Microsoft followed Apple and Google's lead with a new Surface All Access program, which lets you finance bundles of Surface devices and accessories.
In addition to the new Surface devices, Microsoft also released the latest Windows 10 update, which make it easier to use your iOS or Android phone with Windows 10.
Karissa was Mashable's Senior Tech Reporter, and is based in San Francisco. She covers social media platforms, Silicon Valley, and the many ways technology is changing our lives. Her work has also appeared in Wired, Macworld, Popular Mechanics, and The Wirecutter. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding and watching too many cat videos on Instagram. Follow her on Twitter @karissabe.
