It looks like most all-in-one systems follow a similar path. While some of them are quite expensive, especially if they are fully-configured, they still keep the sense of being general-purpose jacks of all trades.
The Surface Studio, however, is a different story. It's a highly specialized system designed for artists, architects, graphic designers and other creative people.
The artist behind the Penny Arcade webcomic, Mike Krahulik, has been using the Surface Studio for the past few days and for him it is an immensely valuable, versatile device. Its capability to transform from a usual computer to a sketching table is not just some trick, it's an important and desirable feature.
Krahulik further says that the Studio represents his dream computer and quite plausible because, in his line of work, it fulfills so many roles.
For architects, graphic designers and other creative people who are working on computers, the Surface Studio's price starts at $2,999 for a Core i5, 8GB RAM, 1TB storage, and a GTX 965M GPU, ranging up to $4,199 for a Core i7, 32GB RAM, 2TB storage, and a GTX 980M. This price seems to leave a big hole on the wallet, but in comparison to traditional all-in-ones, it isn't gonna be a problem.
For example, Wacom's Cintiq touch displays cost $2,799 for a 27-inch unit which doesn't include a computer (just a display and input device). And while Wacom's pen abilities are stronger (for example, it supports tilt detection), the all-inclusive package of the Studio is likely to win many fans.
With the original Surface and Surface Pro, in particular, it was easy to see that other OEMs probably will copycat the design. And that the broader concept as a whole will have mainstream appeal.
Surface Book has ideas which could be applied to a wide range of laptops to good effect as well. However, Surface Studio has no obvious trickle-down effect. It definitely feels like a very finely put together, very specialized computer.
But here's one more interesting thing. The Surface Studio is really strange. It looks very good but the computer tucked away in its base isn't as powerful as some people would like-they want a stronger GPU. However, this magnificent device still can handle reasonable gaming, although not at the full native screen resolution.
The fact is, the Surface Studio is a very desirable machine, cleverly designed and finely put together. Microsoft has perfectly accomplished what they set out to do with this magnificent device, and it's certainly extremely pleasurable to use and look at.
But ultimately, it feels like Surface Studio will be the kind of device that a lot more people are going to lust for.
The Surface Studio release is announced for this holiday season.
