Best Computers for 2017: Microsoft vs. Apple
2016 Has certainly has been an interesting year in the tech industry, in just about every aspect. In gaming, social media, software, apps, hardware, transportation, wearable technology and smartphones. Starting with Samsung’s release of the Samsung Galaxy S7 and the Galaxy S7 Edge in March.
Most Memorable Tech Products of 2016
Samsung lost over a billion dollars due to their most anticipated phone of the year, the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 being recalled and refunded from several reports of the battery exploding. Instagram created “Instagram Stories” in August, a replica of Snapchat Stories. PokemonGo was released by Niantic in partnership with The Pokemon Company and Nintendo in July for the world to get out, explore and catch Pokemon. Nintendo recently announced their latest game system, the Nintendo Switch, which will be released in early 2017. Google introduced their newest hardware products which include the Google Home device, the Google W-Fi router, a newer Chromecast, a VR headset, and their latest smartphone, the Google Pixel, which is replacing the Nexus. Tesla announced their newest cars will have solar-powered sun roofs. Apple had two events this year, but the first event was to announce the new features for the iPhone 7 and the iOS 10 update. That’s is just a sample of what was brought to the world of consumer technology this year.
The Big Ka-Boom!
Apple and Google continue to prove that there is always something more that they can do to smartphones; they can always get better. There has not been much computer news this year until just now, and Apple and Microsoft have definitely brought out their big guns. There has been a lot of speculation about laptops and tablets because although people like the convenience of being able to take something as slim as a tablet around with them it just does not have the same power or capabilities that a laptop would have. So the truth is that sales for tablets have been declining. Many companies have been searching for a middle-ground between a tablet and a laptop because obviously there is still a demand for portable products. For the past couple years, the Microsoft Surface Book has been a bridge between tablet and laptop because of its light and portable design. But this year, Apple has a come back!
2016 Apple Macbook Pro
The Macbook has been known to be used most by those in creative careers. The new Macbook Pro will definitely make those loyal Apple users consider upgrading. Apple announced their newest Macbook Pro on Wednesday, October 26, and there will be 5 different versions, three 13-inch versions and two 15-inch versions. All five versions of the new Macbook Pro have a larger touch pad for more space to maneuver the mouse, a slimmer and lighter design , and Thunderbolt 3 ports. The new Macbook Pro is even lighter in weight compared to the Macbook Air, which was made as the lightest and more affordable Macbook but it came with lower specs. The first version which is available in stores and online today is $1,500 and it comes with a 13-inch display and it comes with 3 thunderbolt ports, a 2GHz Intel dual- core i5 processor, 256GB of storage on SSD and 8GB of RAM.
But that’s just one version of the Macbook Pro. The most discussed versions of the Macbook Pro comes with the new Touch Bar and Touch ID. Touch ID is something that Apple users have been expecting to come to the Macbook for a while because it has been on the iPhone for quite some time being used as a fingerprint sensor for unlocking and locking the phone. On the Macbook Pro, the Touch ID allows users to lock and unlock their screens just as they can on the iPhone and also another user can sign in to their own profile once the other user signs out with just a single touch. The most “talked about” feature of the Macbook Pro is the Touch Bar.
The Touch Bar is a new OLED bar that is below the screen and above the keyboard. It replaces the “function keys” that seem to be obsolete these days. The Touch Bar is a multi-purpose dynamic bar that can be used within any application, alters according to the task that is being performed, and it can be customized to fit your comfort. It can mostly be used as a scroll to seek through various items simultaneously. For example, if you are selecting a color in Photoshop, you can use the Touch Bar to seek through the colors instead of having to click through the color wheel one-by-one. Or if you are using a deejay software, you can use the Touch Bar to skip through the song, fast forward, and rewind. The Touch Bar can also be used if you are multitasking in several browser windows, you can preview the window instead of having to click on each one to easily get back to your task at hand. It will make editing much easier and less time consuming.
There is a one 13-inch Macbook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID available for $1,800 and it comes with a 2.9GHz Intel i5 dual-core processor, 256GB of storage on SSD, 8GB of RAM, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports. The other 13-inch Macbook Pro is $2,000 and it comes with a 2.9GHz Intel i5 dual-core processor, 512GB of storage on SSD, 8GB of RAM, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
One version of the 15-inch Macbook Pro with Touch Bar and Touch ID is $2,400 and it comes with a 2.6 Intel i7 quad-core processor, 256GB of storage on SSD, 16GB of RAM, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports. Lastly, the most defined version of the Macbook Pro is $2,800 and it comes with a 2.7GHz Intel i7 quad-core processor, 15GB of storage on SSD, 16GB of RAM, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Microsoft Windows Surface Studio
Microsoft held their annual press event on Tuesday, October 25. Microsoft announced an update for Windows 10 called the “Creator’s Update” to match with Apple’s update to their operating system called “Sierra”. This comes with changes in the Action Center, custom accent colors, Windows 10 themes in the Windows Store, Windows Defender update, and more. At the beginning of the event, it could be seen that Microsoft is really pushing hard to bring creators over to their platform. After they spoke about the Creators Update, they introduced the new Microsoft Surface Book 2 i7. This new Surface Book, like the Macbook Pro, is much lighter than its predecessor, but it still has the same design with the hinge. It is very portable and comes with a pen and the screen is reversible. Microsoft is toting its new 13.5-inch Surface Book for $2,400, which is the same price as Apple’s 15-inch 256GB Macbook Pro with Touch Bar & Touch ID. The largest difference bewteen the Surface Book and the Macbook Pro besides the reversible, tablet-like factor is the longer batter life. It comes with 16 hours of battery life, while the best Macbook Pro has only 14 hours of battery life.
The biggest update that came from Microsoft’s event is the introduction of their new desktop, the Microsoft Surface Studio, which will be $3,000. It is the world’s thinnest and lightest desktop monitor. It’s an all-in-one system, only comes with the power cord. It has a 28-inch monitor and it comes with a 1 or 2TB Rapid Hybrid Drive, four USB 3 ports, 8GB, 16GB, or 32GB of RAM, 6th generation Intel core i5 or i7 processor, and a Surface Pen. The most interesting piece about the Surface Studio is that yes, it is a desktop, but it can fold onto its base to work like a studio, thus the name “Studio”. The Surface Pen will definitely come in handy when working on art projects and even typing in Microsoft Word. Another interesting feature is the addition of the Surface Dial.
The Surface Dial is sold separately for $100, but it’s definitely worth the buy. You can use the Surface Dial to transition seamlessly through tasks. It can be places on the screen to make creativity flow easier. Once it is pressed and held, it displays a radial menu of tools. Similar to the Touch Bar some tasks that can be performed include adjusting the volume, scrolling through articles, it also make it easier for rotation. The Surface Dial is best used for creative projects like Photoshop for rotating or scaling an image and adjusting the color wheel.
Microsoft and Apple have given users an ultimatum and they are making us ask, what do I need most, a laptop or a desktop? Since there has not been a new update for the iMac, will Windows be able to steal iMac users with the Surface Studio? Will Apple steal tablet and laptop users with the upgrades on the Macbook Pro with Touch Bar & Touch ID? Which one would you buy? What computer do you think will perform the best for the tasks that you perform most? Let us know what you think.
