Does Surface Laptop really perform well on its target purpose - device for students?

[nipun950]

The complete lack of Google Apps in the Windows 10S is a bummer(Although it's not Microsoft's fault) especially for students but the option to upgrade to full version of Win 10 is neat. If price to performance isn't your thing and you are looking for something beautiful with great display, 10/10 should go for it.

P.S.- Don't go for the base 4GB i5. It's a pretty bad deal. Atleast have 8GB of RAM.

 

[zlat]

I think the laptop exceeds student requirements but you need to market to students to get them to buy something. unfortunately it is no longer good enough just to have the right product, you have to make it appealing to have

 

[nipun950]

I think it'll be great for students, I am just waiting for Microsoft office and spotify to get launched on store. Most of my work is on a browser and Edge works great for me. I have been trying to shift my work to Store apps only and I am almost there.

Would love to see programs like virtualbox, Adobe acrobat DC on the store.

Also I have two questions; all the Microsoft applications like notepad and paint(original) will be available or not as they aren't store apps?

Second, what about installing drivers? how would we be able to install drivers from respective manufacturers?

Notepad might be built into it or we would have to use OneNote or sticky notes, that we'll get to know after using it. Though Paint 3D is available in the store.
My bet is that they would be built in just like normal windows version as notepad or paint aren't seperate .exe apps that you can install or uninstall separately. They are built right into windows.

As far as drivers go, Windows 10 S is based on Windows 10 Pro and uses same driver database, so updating and/or getting new drivers won't be an issue at all.

 

[newk]

I think it will. esp for students who are not in engineering or science that would require a quad core processor. if you are mainly just using office, some web browsing and reading, then the long battery life will help out a ton!

 

[Kern1996]

It depends what the student is studying. For business etc yes, for anything that needs a lot of power, no.

 

[TheFlyingDutchBros]

As a recent graduate, the Surface Laptop is incredibly appealing.

• excellent screen
• amazing build quality
• light and thin, making is easily portable
• SSD and 7th gen Intel Core i5 or i7 should make for speedy performance
• Battery life should be pretty good as well, which is essential for students
• Windows Hello will allow you to log in without a password
• No crapware is a HUGE plus

Honestly though, the most appealing thing to me is that Windows 10 S only runs store applications. Now that may sound counter-intuitive, but hear me out: store apps install and uninstall cleanly, meaning your system won't degrade anywhere as much over time. In other words, it will still be a great laptop by the time you graduate. I only wish I could say that of the hp that I bought going into college. It now lies waiting to be recycled.

 

[SpaciousZebra]

This one's easy - absolutely! Students want great looking devices that are light and portable, offer outstanding battery life, and provide a fast and seamless user experience. This laptop, as advertised, should do just that. It's not trying to be a hardcore gamer's laptop, but as long as the upgrade from S to the regular version doesn't slow it down, I'm confident this will work perfectly for upwards of 95% of college users.

 

[TunedM52]

I think the Surface Laptop will excel in K-12 environments. My friends and I used to easily gain administrator rights on the school's computers back then, and to put it simply, cause trouble and annoyance for the school's tech guy (sorry if you're reading this). We even used to bring in portable versions of Unreal Tournament and Halo CE and have a LAN party in the middle of class.. This is why Windows 10 S is EXCELLENT for K-12.

However for university settings, it depends on what the student is studying. I'm sure for English/history/etc. majors, the Surface Laptop is a winner. Lightweight, great build quality (assuming), touchscreen, relatively affordable especially with the education discount.

But as a soon to be mechanical and electrical engineering graduate, the Surface Laptop itself would barely suffice, and the upgrade to full W10 is a necessity. There are so many Win32 programs that are required for each course. You'd fail out of the intro to engineering 101 course without W10 Pro or Mac OS X. (Of course there are computers on campus but that isn't the point)

My SP4 i7 is barely powerful enough for some programs, long MATLAB scripts will not compile and I'd have to soft reset. I mainly use it for OneNote, which it's amazing at, but do all my coursework on my desktop w/4690K.

 

[Captain_Eric]

As others have said, I think part of the motive here is for K-12 school IT administrators. They gain considerable control over a network of computers. Which makes sense. Buying for yourself? Get whatever suits you.

 

[T Moore]

Missing the big picture here.
OEMs are already releasing 10 S laptops, starting at $189. Acer TravelMate Spin B1 and HP ProBook x360.
Of course these are not expected to run Pro. The Surface Laptop is just an example and has no hope of being picked up by schools, just something to show 10 S.

 

[Jayesh Sharma]

It is indeed directed towards the education market but it's not designed to go mainstream. It is a premium device showcasing 10S and part of bigger goal to boost the Windows Store.
Microsoft has set a benchmark for it's OEM partners. The devices made by them will be affordable and will compete with the Chromebooks we have today. It will also target the Macbook market.
The only thing I'm afraid of is marketing. Let's hope this beauty doesn't become a victim of Microsoft's poor promotion.

 

[falcon304]

If you're a student that still needs to draw/write, such as engineering students, no I think it completely fails for the STEM types.

 

[ajcletus500]

The device may be targeted for students but is a bit limited I feel without the whole windows 10 pro edition at least for university students. Windows10 S may be good for student at a school level where they are not really needed to use a lot of other software.
Give the surface laptop the pro edition of windows and you have a near perfect device for use. I say near perfect due to the lack of USB c and the use of the alcantara keyboard. I'm a bit skeptical about how well it will age.

 

[k1s23]

I am a computer science college student and would very much like to use a Surface Laptop for school. Its really an amazingly specification built device

hello. im curious to know what programs you would need to efficiently work/study on the surface laptop. would all of the programs you need be available in the store?

 

[Photonsym]

Sure as long as you don't have to do heavy rendering/modelling.

 

[k1s23]

Sure as long as you don't have to do heavy rendering/modelling.

hey photonsym, i think thats partially true. when i was watching the surface laptop presentation with that medical app being showcased on the surface laptop i thought that kind of power from a uwp app was incredible (the i5 or i7 kaby lake processors definitely do help) because a lot of rendering needed to be done to show the human body and the transitions of the different layers etc.

 

[Photonsym]

hey photonsym, i think thats partially true. when i was watching the surface laptop presentation with that medical app being showcased on the surface laptop i thought that kind of power from a uwp app was incredible (the i5 or i7 kaby lake processors definitely do help) because a lot of rendering needed to be done to show the human body and the transitions of the different layers etc.

Well would be great if it could. Reduces the need for a secondary machine for all that jazz