I did a bunch of research between this, the surface pro and the I pad pro. The latter, the I pad pro, according to a bunch of business people is nothing but a toy...give it a swerve.

The original Surface products from Microsoft -- the first-gen Surface Pro and Surface RT -- had everyone asking at the time: "Why is Microsoft making a tablet" The latest Surface has everyone asking a different question: "Why is Microsoft making a laptop

The Surface Laptop has a slim, modern design and comes in a selection of cool colors; Battery life is very good, and the keyboard and touchpad are both excellent

The included Windows 10 S operating system can only install preapproved apps by default (but it's upgradable); The long-term life of the fabric covering remains a question; The cooler colors are only available in more expensive configurations, and the port selection is limited, skipping USB-C...

We're not thrilled that the base model for the Surface Laptop comes with just 4 GB of RAM and a 128 GB SSD for $999 - 4GB of RAM is skimpy by 2017's standards. A more robust configuration will cost you $1,299 and comes with 8 GB of RAM and a 256 GB SSD, but $1,299 doesn't quite feel like a very...

Beautiful aluminum design with a premium build – no flexing; ready to take a fair amount of punishment while going from classroom to classroom; large trackpad and spacious ergonomic keyboard; great performance; bold color options with a matching colored material surrounding the keyboard; comes with...

Pricing is reasonable but not quite student-friendly; no USB-C

The Microsoft Surface Book is a really interesting laptop. It's gorgeous to look at, incredibly well built… and comes with a hampered version of Windows for a fairly considerable sum of money. In that regard it's going to be mis-matched for the education sector at which it is pitched.

Gorgeous design and great built quality that will turn heads; Silent operation and plenty of power from Intel Core i5/i7 Kaby Lake processors; Windows 10 Pro is available as a free upgrade (in 2017; Excellent screen quality; Strong battery life; Comfortable typing experience (the Alcantara material...

Windows 10 S makes little logical sense to us and convolutes the Windows marketplace once more (when RT was killed it should have stayed that way; Really expensive if viewed as a high-end Chromebook competitor

The Microsoft Surface Laptop is an excellent laptop although, like everything Microsoft makes these days, very slightly quirky. I've only had this laptop for about 12 hours, so consider these initial thoughts rather than a final verdict.

Generally stunning design; Slick; fast operation; Excellent screen and speakers

Windows 10 S is quite limiting; Fabric palm rest seems a design flourish too far

Mashable Choice highlights the best of everything we cover, have experienced first-hand and would recommend to others. Like so many students, the very first laptop I had was a MacBook (the plastic one, not the new 2-pounder ).

As Microsoft's first genuine rival to Apple's MacBooks, the Surface Laptop has a lot riding on it. Not only is the company's second notebook looking to take on Apple's recently-refreshed laptops, it's also tasked with launching the new version of the company's operating system, Windows 10 S.

The Surface Laptop is great. In fact, it's probably the best all round notebook PC you'll find. But it's not perfect. It has a too few ports, which are remedied by a £190 dock, but lacking even just one USB-C port in 2017 seriously hurts the Surface Laptop's futureproofing.

really great keyboard; good trackpad; alcantara; stand-out design; USB-A port; great screen; great battery life; Windows Hello

no USB-C; no SD card reader; no fingerprint scanner; Windows 10 S (but free upgrade before 2018); limited configuration options

For anyone who doesn't care about ports though and just wants to get down and type though, the Microsoft Surface Laptop is the obvious choice.

Excellent keyboard and trackpad; stunning screen; fast performance

Not enough ports; doesn't ship with a dock; Windows 10 S before the free upgrade

Microsoft had been threatening to get into hardware in a big way for years - if only to demonstrate to PC makers how it should be done, after admonishing them for making dull devices.