Turn it up to 11
We check out Microsoft’s latest operating system and how it works with the latest laptop/tablet hybrid
MICROSOFT has famously taken a different tack with its hardware devices to the other big tech giants.
Instead of making software for tablets and software for ‘real’ computers, it has decided to make one single operating system (OS) work on both.
Having abandoned its foray into smartphone software, this has naturally taken it to a place where it now makes hybrid devices too – the Surface line-up features devices at all levels that are designed to work as laptop or tablet depending on your mood and the task at hand.
This week we take a look at the latest of those Surface devices – the third generation of the Go 2-in-1 laptop/tablet hybrid.
As well as being the latest, it’s also the first to ship with the new version of Microsoft’s ubiquitous operating system.
Windows 11 and the Surface Go 3, I think give us the best indication yet of where Microsoft is going with all this – previous versions of Windows have seemed a little bit off on the hybrids – made for computers, with tablets an afterthought. Windows 11 is the first OS from Microsoft that’s truly designed for both.
The Go 3 itself is an inexpensive device – it starts at just £369, putting it firmly in the iPad ballpark. And yet, instead of just getting a capable tablet, you are also getting a fully fledged Windows laptop for your money.
Microsoft’s strategy begins to make sense in this light.
For that kind of money, though, you are not getting a high-end device, and performance on the Go 3 will limit you to some basic computing tasks – browsing, email, working with Word, Powerpoint and Excel. In other words, 90% of what most people need a computer for.
In tablet mode, it’s a decent drawing canvas when paired with the Pen, and the built-in kickstand also makes it a useful mini TV for streaming.
For gamers, Microsoft has come up with a good solution to the lack of power – the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate allows you to stream 100 or so great games (with more being added) via the built-in Edge browser… so the processing is done in the cloud, not the machine.
Windows 11 also feels at home on the device, although touch still feels somewhat alien on a Microsoft device.
The big changes, of course, include a new look, which brings a more modern feel – rounded corners and soft colour palettes abound. It feels a little less workmanlike than Windows 10.
The changes to the system itself include the moving of the start menu to the middle of the screen, which at first feels a bit like when they move everything in the supermarket.
But the redesign of the menu itself makes it a much more pleasurable experience – everything is simplified and considerably less confusing.
The control power users need, though, remains – it’s just been cloaked in a layer of idiot-proof design that helps people like me find what they need.
The Go 3 won’t be for everyone – one of the biggest compromises is in battery life, which seemed to me to clock in a few hours lower than Microsoft’s claimed 11 hours.
Still, it remains true that you are getting a lot for your money here… and that might just be enough for most people.
And if it’s not, there are more powerful, albeit more expensive, Surface options on the way, which should make Windows 11 even more of a delight to use.