By Nsiiro Jacob
The Microsoft Surface Book — the Redmond giant’s first-ever laptop, released in late 2015 — is the first computer that I’ve ever loved in the same way in the years since. Surface Book commands an Apple-like price, starting at $1,499. But I like it better than any Apple MacBook I’ve ever used. And the Surface Book doubles as a full-blown tablet, making it a great iPad or Android tablet replacement, too. Seriously. And while the Surface Book’s launch was riddled with bugs, I’m pleased to report that Microsoft has stepped up with fixes and patches. I could hug this thing. Actually, I think I will — give me a second here. Oh yeah, that’s good. Here’s why I love the Microsoft Surface Book laptop so darn much. The Surface Book starts at a hefty $1,499.
It rocks Microsoft Windows 10, a 13.5-inch touch-sensitive screen, a nice keyboard with solid clicky-clack action, a Surface Pen stylus, two USB ports, an SD card slot, and the best non-Apple mouse touchpad I’ve ever tried. It’s got a very Apple-y sense of design. Unlike Microsoft’s Surface and Surface Pro tablet/laptop hybrids, the Surface Book is a real, honest-to-goodness laptop that can, indeed, sit in your lap. Second, the Surface Book keyboard actually holds a second, dedicated graphics processing unit (GPU), meaning that its graphics game goes into overdrive when the two parts are docked. It can play a pretty fair number of recent PC game releases — just note that “Quantum Break,” known for its super-intense visuals, ran at a crawl on the Surface Book, even my high-end model. It’s definitely not a machine for the hardcore gamer.
