Windows 11 users and Surface enthusiasts had a busy week. Microsoft held an event to showcase the Surface Laptop Ultra, a new Search experience, and a bunch of AI features and integrations across Microsoft services.
Like the original Surface Pro, this week’s Windows and Surface event tried to be a 2-in-1. Unfortunately, just like the first-gen Surface Pro, the event failed to thrive in either of its two categories.
The first 20 minutes of the event felt like a Build session. That’s not a bad thing. Build is an important event for developers. But it’s not aimed at general audiences and is full of technical jargon.
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Anyone who tuned in to the Windows and Surface event hoping for a closer look at the Surface Laptop Ultra would have glazed over at talks of Llama.cpp and Microsoft Execution Containers.
After watching several speakers focus on the technical aspects of AI and development, I assumed the entire event would be like that. Which made the rest of the event confusing.
After filling our eyes and ears with jargon and likely convincing many to stop watching, Microsoft switched gears and showed off a truly useful feature for Windows 11.
The improved Search experience is a consumer-facing feature that is a breath of fresh air to Windows 11. It looks good, is more functional than what it replaces, and according to Microsoft is more efficient while also performing better.
Shortly after unveiling the new Search, Microsoft shared details about the Surface Laptop Ultra. That PC is designed and priced for developers and power users, but it is intriguing to enthusiasts. On top of being the most powerful Surface ever, it has cool features like its magnetic USB-C port.
Microsoft appears confident in the Surface Laptop Ultra. The company’s website now features a banner telling people “break up with your MacBook.”
But the event wasn’t structured in a way that showed the same confidence. The event felt like someone pasted PowerPoint slides from different presentations into a single document.
Who was this event for?
I expected to be frustrated by the Windows and Surface event. I said two weeks ago that Microsoft undercut the event. And I’ve said all year that Surface has lost its identity as a brand.
While I am frustrated, it’s for an entirely different reason than I expected. Microsoft announced interesting things for Windows and Surface. I think the event lived up to its description on YouTube that promised to show “RTX Spark and new experiences designed to unlock more possibilities for developers and builders.”
But I don’t think that was shown off in a way that appeals to the masses. The features and devices shown on stage may create buzz, but the event itself did not.
Shopping with Sean
Amazon Prime Big Deal Days came and went, but some of the best tech deals are still live. My top pick is a small discount on the XPS 13 that drops the laptop to $799.99.
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