Microsoft announced the launch of the new Surface models in a blog post today. The devices will be sold exclusively online from the Microsoft Store and other select retailers.
The new flagship Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book models have an Intel sixth-generation Skylake Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and 1TB of internal storage. The specification was announced back at launch in October 2015 but has only just made it to sale.
Joining the new configurations is a new Surface Pen variant. The gold-coloured Surface Pen will be available in select markets worldwide and expands the range of available Surface Pen colours. It offers no more functionality than the existing models, sporting 1,024 levels of pressure sensitivity and changeable tips to switch between depending on usage.
The announcement came on the same day as noted Microsoft commentator Paul Thurrott published a scathing article attacking Microsoft for its poor support of the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book. The devices have been plagued with issues since launch ranging from bugs preventing the system from going to sleep and random keyboard disconnections to sporadic display flickering.
Thurrott likened the problems to Apple’s infamous “Antennagate” issue with the iPhone 4. The company knew that when a user held the phone in a particular way it would lose connectivity but failed to address the issues until it was too late. Microsoft now appears to be doing the same with “Surfacegate.”
System updates have begun to cure some of the problems but “rampant reliability issues” persist. The company is staying silent too and has not publicly admitted that users may experience bugs that could ruin the device or leave them wondering if it’s really worth the $1,000 price tag.
Thurrott called on Microsoft to finally open up about what’s wrong with Surface and explain when fixes are coming and how much they’ll achieve. The Surface Pro 4 delivers some major performance and design improvements over its predecessor but has introduced some equally major software bugs that have never been present in a Surface before. The problems could lower the reputation of the brand if not dealt with soon.
In a wholly separate issue, Microsoft was forced to announce a recall of power cords shipped with the Surface Pro 1, Surface Pro 2 and Surface Pro 3 this week after discovering the cords pose a fire hazard. The company has now started the recall process and owners are advised to visit the specially-constructed website as soon as possible to get a free replacement cable.
