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As a performance junkie, I’m less concerned about the security risks of the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities—after all, there are no known exploits in use today—than I am about a performance hit from the fixes.And from what I’m seeing, my concerns are warranted.My sole experience with a fully updated platform so far is with Microsoft’s original Surface Book. It’s based on an Intel “Skylake” Core i7-6700U and has 16GB of LPDDR3 and a 512GB Samsung 950 Pro NVMe drive. The Surface Book is running the 64-bit Windows 10 Pro Fall Creator’s Update.[ Further reading: How to remove malware from your...

Use of a Surface Book, compatible pen, or a computer with the Windows 10 Creator update will result in ejection from the exam If you’re planning on using your Surface Book or a laptop with the Windows 10 Creator update on it to take the bar exam in Tennessee next month, you’re out of luck. The state bar has prohibited test-takers from using the device, and anyone using a device with the new updates will have to make some adjustments. According to the Tennessee Board of Law Examiners, the directive comes from limitations with the exam software, SofTest, which doesn’t...

Flickering lights, sleeplessness leave Redmond's typoslabs feeling drained Microsoft has apologised for the "less-than-perfect experience" reported by many buyers of its new Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book computers, but has nonetheless beaten Apple in the tablet sales stakes. The Surface Book has suffered from flickering screens. Both machines have generated complaints of poor battery life, especially when machines are placed into sleep mode but still manage to deplete the power source. Users have also complained that machines are slow to wake from sleep mode, that they run hot and/or slowly. Microsoft's offered some updated drivers to address the issues...

Redmond confirms display spasm fix coming People who bought the first batch of Microsoft's Surface Book slab-tops are furious that a glitch causes the screens to flicker. Microsoft's support forums and the Surface subreddit are filled with folks claiming their displays erratically wink completely on and off. This happens, we're told, whether the tablet is running on its own or when it's docked in its base station. Microsoft has confirmed a fix is on the way. "A small number of customers have flagged some issues with their Surface Book," a Redmond spokesperson told The Register. "We are working hard to...

With Satya Nadella now steering the ship up in Redmond, Microsoft has actually become an exciting company to keep an eye on. This was plainly evident last week when Microsoft introduced a slew of new hardware products, including new Lumia devices, a new version of the Microsoft Band, and a new Surface Pro tablet. Not bad, but the real star of the show was a product that nobody saw coming; a hybrid laptop Microsoft calls the Surface Book. Equipped with a detachable 13.5-inch display packed with 6 million pixels, the Surface Book is an intriguing product both from a hardware...

Of course we had to pit the Surface Book vs. the MacBook Pro. It’s like Ford vs. Chevy, or Coke vs. Pepsi. Each side has its diehard fans, plus others who just want to know which is better. Microsoft claims its new Surface Book is “twice” as fast as its equivalent MacBook Pro. Well, we ran some benchmarks, and hate to say it, but Microsoft lied. The Surface Book isn’t twice as fast. It’s three times as fast. Read on for the details. What Microsoft meant First, let’s clarify what Microsoft meant when it said the Surface Book would smoke...

Microsoft may have just personally revived the Mac-vs.-Windows debates of yesteryear with its introduction of the Surface Book, the first-ever laptop to come out of Redmond, Calif. With its silver chassis and 13.5-inch display, the Surface Book invites comparisons to Apple's MacBook Pro. So how does the Surface Book stack up against Apple's 13-inch professional laptop?Design: Surface Book's Display Pulls Double Duty At 12.3 x 9.1 x 0.5-0.90, the tapered Surface Book is just a little bit larger than the 13-inch MacBook Pro (12.35 x 8.6 x 0.7 inches). Of course, that modestly larger size allows the Surface Book...

Microsoft did something shocking last night. It launched something people might actually lust over, something sleek, something powerful, something innovative. The Surface Book. At an event in New York rammed with press and industry types and live-streamed to the world, Microsoft confidently and defiantly unveiled its grand vision of Windows 10 devices. Some of the products the company unveiled were expected: an updated Surface Pro 4 tablet, the second generation of the company’s Microsoft Band fitness tracker and two new Lumia smartphones. But it was the Surface Book, Microsoft’s first laptop and a big bet for the company, that drew...

Redmond's shoving its chips all in on this $1,500 PC As expected, Microsoft has updated its Surface Pro fondleslab with a new model powered by Intel's latest silicon. But unexpectedly, it has also produced a laptop version of the platform that is going to make Apple sick. "The Surface Book is the ultimate laptop," gushed Panos Panay, Microsoft's veep of Surface computing. "Ounce for ounce, it's the fastest laptop ever made – twice as fast as the MacBook Pro." The laptop's 13.5-inch screen is detachable, and on its own acts as a tablet. The machine has two batteries and twin...