Microsoft launches new products that compete directly with Apple Watches, iPhones, iPads and Macs

THE Microsoft yesterday held an event to present some news that directly compete with Apple products. So we decided to take a look at everything to evaluate (at least initially, since few had access to the products themselves) if they are really interesting.

Microsoft Band

Microsoft Band

If Apple has Watch, Microsoft has Band. And it got even better in the second generation. All the first generation differentials are still there: GPS, sleep / heart rate / calorie and sports monitoring (running, cycling) and even an ultraviolet radiation sensor. The novelty comes from a revamped design (curved screen with metal detailing), the inclusion of a barometer (improving sports monitoring as well as altitude), and the ability to monitor golf.

More cool than all that Band works not only with the Microsoft ecosystem but also with iOS and Android systems it would be a mistake not to offer this as Windows is far from being a power in the mobile market. It hits the market on October 30 for $ 250 ($ 50 more than before).

https://www.youtube/watch?v=DBmKfkReBC4

I was betting Apple would launch something like this before seeing Watch. When I say "something like that" I mean a gadget in a different format than the traditional watch. The second generation of Band is quite complete and I would love to see some features like GPS, sleep monitoring coming to Watch. It's good to see Microsoft advance in this area, making your product better and better. I really want it to be a success, after all, good competition and it will make Apple move even more.

Lumias 950, 950 XL and 550

Lumia 950 XL

These are the new Microsoft devices powered by Windows 10. The Lumia 950 features a 5.2 inch (25601440 pixels) OLED display and processor. hexa-core; j 950 XL is basically a larger version with 5.7 inch OLED display (same 25601440 pixels) and chip octa-core. Both have 32GB of storage space (expandable thanks to a microSD input), 3GB RAM, liquid cooling, 20 megapixel PureView rear camera (with optical image stabilization and different-tone LED flash similar to Apple's) ) and 5 megapixel front.

They also feature fast charging technology that promises to recharge 50% of the battery in less than 30 minutes and an accessory called the Display Dock which allows users to connect their devices to a 19201080 pixel DisplayPort or HDMI monitor and three USB peripherals such as a keyboard. And mouse the idea basically turn your phone into a desktop!

For those not looking for such a powerful smartphone, Microsoft has also released the Lumia 550. It has a 4.7 inch (1280720 pixels) screen processor quad core 1GHz Snapdragon 210, 5 megapixel rear camera and 2 megapixel front camera, 2,100mAh battery and just 8GB of internal storage.

The 950 will be sold from November for $ 550; the 950 XL comes out for $ 100 more ($ 650); The 550 will only cost $ 140, but will only be launched in emerging countries at the end of the year (December).

https://www.youtube/watch?t=2&v=snEIjWR4lQw

We have no way to evaluate these features without having the handsets in hand, but the 950's cameras should be very good considering the history of the Lumia / Nokia line. No more, I dream about the day when we no longer have to worry about the smartphone battery. Even if the new Lumias doesn't solve that, having 50% of the battery with 30 minutes of recharging is very good! Already the thing of turning the smartphone into a PC I found somewhat exaggerated; Let's see how this actually works.

Surface Pro 4

Surface Pro 4

Surface was not a product that took off, but that does not detract from Microsoft. We are talking about a different approach from what we usually see a and Surface Pro 4 has continued to walk that path. It is now equipped with a sixth generation Intel Core processor, up to 1TB of storage and up to 16GB of RAM. The company claims that Surface Pro 4 performs 30% faster than 3 and 50% faster than MacBook Air. All in an 8.4mm-thick body with a 12.3-inch (267ppp) screen. 5 million pixels; with Gorilla Glass protection).

His Type Cover (keyboard) has been redesigned and in theory is more comfortable, with a wider glass trackpad and backlit keys; There is even a fingerprint reader for authentication with Windows Hello. As with Lumias, there's a Surface Dock that powers Surface Pro 4, adding four USB 3.0 ports, two 4K-resolution DisplayPort outputs, and one Ethernet port!

The Surface Pen (new pen to accompany the hybrid) supports 1,024 pressure levels and has a battery life of 1 year (but its battery is not rechargeable). At the top of the pen is a digital eraser to erase details of your drawing / work. It is available in silver, gold, red, blue and black and has interchangeable tips. A simple but cool detail that the stylus can be attached to the side of Surface Pro thanks to ms (something that iPad Pro definitely missed).

The Surface Pro 4 hit the US market on October 26, with prices starting at $ 900.

https://www.youtube/watch?v=6Gh4o9IqeEU

Undoubtedly the launch of iPad Pro will help you better position Surface Pro in the market. It's okay for Microsoft to compare its product to MacBook Air, but there's no doubt that iPad Pro fights much more on an equal footing with Surface than Apple notebooks.

When Maelana launches a new product like this and wins the average, it turns out to be good even for competitors offering similar solutions as the market as a whole grows. This fight will be good!

Surface book

Surface book

If I found it a bit odd to compare Surface Pro with MacBooks, Surface Book, in my view, already makes more sense. We're talking about a hybrid with a more notebook than tablet footprint compared to Surface Pro.

This is a 13.5 inch (30002000 pixels) product made of magnesium alloy. The machine features a glass trackpad, backlit keyboard, up to 12-hour battery life, NVIDIA GPU with GDDR5 memory, latest Intel processors, and a touchscreen that can be detached from the keyboard.

Although the screen can be used loosely, we are really talking about a complete and powerful notebook that can work with any professional application like Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro and even heavy graphics rendering software such as AutoCAD (from Autodesk). According to Microsoft, we are talking about the fastest 13-inch notebook in the world, being up to twice as fast as the 13-inch MacBook Pro.

This new toy will hit the market in late October and cost from $ 1,500 a price a little more expensive than the 13 inch MacBook Pro.

https://www.youtube/watch?v=XVfOe5mFbAE

Apart from the hinge that looks pretty weird when you look at everything, I really enjoyed this hybrid notebook.

Surface book

Surface Pro didn't like me so much just because it was more tablet than notebook, which wiped out any (professional) interest in me for it. Already this Surface Book, as I said, just the opposite: a notebook that can also be used as a tablet.

This is not new, and other companies have already tried to do this, but Microsoft's solution has been elegant. I still like the idea of ​​having a MacBook Pro and an iPad (as I have today) and I can say that, being two products, we have the best of both worlds (portability and great battery life on the iPad; processing power and the trio mouse + keyboard + trackpad on the notebook). But the idea of ​​having a single device centralizing your information / documents and being able to use it the way you want is not bad

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What about, did Microsoft Band seduce you more than Apple Watch? And the Surface Book; Would you stop buying a MacBook because of it?

(via 9to5Mac, Tecnoblog)