First test Microsoft Surface Laptop It’s not especially rugged but it is rugg’d

Microsoft has finally got into the laptop business – but rather than opting for a no-frills power machine, it’s decided to go with fitted carpets

ife is full of mysteries. How did Two and a Half Men last 12 seasons? Who invented the platypus? Why has it taken Microsoft this long to make a laptop?

Just like the Surface Pro and Surface Book before it, the Surface Laptop is a brilliant creation. Unlike those previous two, though, it isn’t a tablet with a detachable keyboard and stylus; it is instead an oldfashioned kind of computer with the looks and performance to rival Apple’s Macbook.

That Macbook comparison is important here, because it and the Surface Laptop are aimed at the same sort of people: folk who do a lot of typing, researching and procrastinating. Basically, students and journalists with a curiously large chunk of cash to spare and lots of deadlines to hit.

But the Surface isn’t your average portable work machine. First up, it’s covered in carpet. Yep, you heard right - Alcantara, to be specific. Plus, as the world’s first device powered by the new Windows 10 S, it can only run apps you’ve downloaded from the Windows Store. But while that might make it sound like a jazzed-up Chromebook with a near-£1k price tag, the Surface Laptop is actually one of the standout computers that you can buy right now.

How so? We’ll do our best to explain this head-scratcher…

LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

1 While the Surface Laptop’s 13.5in 201ppi touchscreen can’t match the Macbook’s superior 226ppi display, its 2256x1504 resolution still ensures the text is pin-sharp and colours are beautifully bright and accurate.

MARATHON RUNNER

2 Microsoft claims this device will trundle on for a whopping 14.5 hours of video playback, and according to our own testing that’s not far off the mark – it lasted for a full 13hrs with the display set to half brightness.

POWER TOOL

3 Although the Surface Laptop isn’t built with power users in mind, it is available with Intel’s latest seventh-generation Core i5 and i7 processors – the same Kaby Lake chips you’ll find in Apple’s latest Macbooks.

Windows shopping

4 Windows 10 S restricts you to downloading apps through the Windows Store. There’s a decent selection of apps, including BT Sports, Instagram and Fitbit, but itunes, Steam and the full version of Photoshop are out.

Memory to forget

5 Thanks to the apps-only approach of Windows 10 S, you’ll have a hard time filling up the Surface Laptop’s 128GB, 256GB or 512GB SSD, especially if you’re already a Google Drive or Microsoft Onedrive user.