The image on the Nvidia announcement tells the story: 6 identical laptops from various manufacturers running the same SoC. The Microsoft one is just one of many.
Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
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Re: Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
#352Earlier quoted context omitted.
I worked with some of the people responsible for the Surface Book, Surface docks, and specifically the Surface Book's dock. These were hardware people (EEs), not software people, and this was after their time at MS. Unfortunately I don't remember specifics (both because it's been a few years, and because I'd probably have to fuzz details anyway), but... : Docks are horrifying products. Thunderbolt docks are doubly ho…
> They ordered in every single competing dock they could find, from that era's products, and found that every last one was garbage in some way or other, usually fatally so. It is so hard to believe that when more than 1000 employees at my employers are also using at least one dock (Dell and Thinkpad both) and using them very well.
In 2017 or so the standard Surface docks were rough. I think we had at least a 60% failure rate, though for the CEO who demanded a surface we swapped his issue dock with the one he had the week prior. And it would work for X weeks until failing to display to external monitors. Then we'd swap it out for the one from X weeks back and continue the cycle. Maybe change the power brick out.
Today I swap the power brick on my Dell thunderbolt dock when it acts up. Given the hours of use and how many times it's been plugged/unplugged from various laptops/etc (it worked great off an AMD desktop PC with thunderbolt on the rear I/O), I think my employer should buy me a knew one out of respect.
Re: Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
#353Who is the target market for this? As an Apple user who can’t make iPad OS work I am always tempted by the surface but.. Every time I contemplate the surface (I like the hardware / concept) it seems the software I might want to use doesn’t support arm..
>Who is the target market for this?
People who actually do real work and are interested in gaming, unlike people who just buy Macbooks to run VsCode and browse the web.
Re: Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
#354This is the story of being a tech giant where you can't stop running a creepy digital surveillance business model that depends on expensive but poor performing hardware vendors so you partner with an ungodly expensive hardware vendor that can perform well but doesn't solve the underlying problem of being a creepy digital surveillance business that snoops on your customers and sells ads to show them. Friends don't let friends or family they care about use Windows 11.
Re: Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
#355Earlier quoted context omitted.
You can still bypass the login requirement for Win 11 and that annoyance only happens once during install vs. every time you try to run a non-notarized app. It’s easily in my top 3 most hated things about my MacBook. Plus, knowing Apple and the history of that “feature”, it will only ratchet towards becoming even more of a pain over time (it was actually tolerable back before they removed the hotkey to bypass). For m…
Stop giving Microsoft free passes. The fact that you even need a workaround is the issue.
Local account on Win11 isn't a workaround, its a fully supported option but only on Windows 11 Pro. Its a work around on home edition. The UI to get there on Pro isn't intuitive (Other Options->Domain Join Instead->Create local account), but it's there and 100% supported.
Still unacceptable for home edition users, but Microsoft has been segregating its userbase and features into Home/Pro/Enterprise for decades.
Re: Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
#356Earlier quoted context omitted.
I had a CalDigit TB dock -- maybe 2021-ish? -- that every time I unplugged my MacBook would take my internet offline. I thought I was insane. How is that even possible? But I finally gave up and returned it. Thanks for finally answering this mystery for me.
I remember getting my first CalDigit TB dock and being excited - everyone seemed to love them. I expected it to largely Just Work. That thing Didn't Work more than it Worked, but options were slim. Eventually it fully died about 14 months in. I didn't even bother checking to see what the warranty terms were. TS3 Plus, back in 17 or 18. What a piece of shit. Sounds like it's a good thing I didn't bother trying again i…
I have a TS3+ that broke about 18 months in. I talked to support, set up a repair, and before I could send it the dock unbroke and had worked since. Truly mysterious and left me with a sense of unease with that thing given the cost.
Re: Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
#357You know what, MS? Go to hell with the architecture and CPU vendor-lock.
We need and want an open, modular architecture, and currently it's not ARM, it's x86/64. Because I can't go buy CPU retail and replace it at home.
Edit: oh cool, CPU is MediaTek. No-no, I would stay as far as possible from it.
Thank you, but no, thanks.
Re: Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
#358My first thought on seeing this was that it could be great for Linux. If the hardware is a little more standard than Apple's, it wouldn't need all the tricks Asahi has figure out. Finally you could have the best performance without compromising on fine details.
Honestly I was ready to mock this thing out of existence, but I think you're on to something as there is a contingent that wants the Macbook Pro style laptop to run Linux and I think they'd be happy to settle with a copycat. Alas, it is a laptop from Microsoft so hardware support in Linux is probably going to be painful as always. Hard to say whether you'll get the Macbook Pro experience though.
That's me. The PC OEMs have been woefully lacking ever since the M1 came out, and even prior to then. Still shipping crappy 1080p panels and garbage trackpads today.
I just want the Macbook Pro experience, but Linux. Good, high rez, high quality and accurate display, nice trackpad, keyboard, nice speakers, quiet and cool.
Apple's the only one making good laptops now and it sucks (I say as I type from my macbook). I tolerate macOS, I don't love it.
Re: Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
#359Earlier quoted context omitted.
> It was still better than the competition Plenty of cases where Surface isn't. Microsoft like to think they can make hardware but they're no better than other OEM and it's clearly not a focus for them
When I worked at Microsoft (years ago), some employees had Surface laptops. They frequently had issues where the laptop just wasn't working right and required rebooting, at the start of a meeting where they wanted to connect the Surface laptop to a projector. Always the Surfaces, never the Lenovos. One of the Surface things split into two parts, the screen (containing the actual computer) and the keyboard. There was…
Windows 8.1 and a Surface Pro 2, touch first with the start screen completely replacing the desktop outside storing files, was fantastic. It felt new and functional in the world of ungainly non Apple tablets, could do everything a regular laptop could, and boast solid touch support and features. It was a phenomenal device for me in college for notes given I had my own wireless keyboard for long typing sessions. Given the rush for digital text books, PDF or terrible, its form factor and flexibility made sense.
But I completely understand why it didn't meet market expectations and the 8/8.1 UI fell off a cliff. If you weren't willing tyo overhaul how you interacted with a Windows device and use it as designed, or needed something that was better at any given feature the surface tablet presented, it was not the right option.
I would love an option for the 8.1 style start screen on Windows 11, at least for a touch screen laptop. It really worked for me and how I used a computer at that point in time. I have an 8.1 install iso hanging around in case it comes up.
Re: Microsoft builds MacBook Pro rival with NVIDIA-powered Surface Laptop Ultra
#360The Surface line is, HW-wise, very good IMHO. Too bad the software is awful. Thankfully the Linux Surface community is pretty strong. Proprietary Microsoft drivers don't make it easy, but we're getting there... https://github.com/linux-surface/surface-pro-x I'll buy another one if there's some commitment from Microsoft to be more open source friendly, but since this will never happen, they can keep their HW.
I get it’s not what you’re asking for, but WSL on windows is a lot more friendly than anything Apple has done in the last decade to assist in Linux support.
But what is the point of WSL if you can get run the real thing, without performance penalty, bloatware and spyware? WinBoat makes more sense if there is the odd program that does not have a substitute.