Tech News Roundup for October 2, 2020
Here are a few of the stories that caught my attention over the last couple days
Microsoft Announces New Surface Devices
On Thursday Microsoft announced new Surface hardware. There are new mice, keyboards, and other accessories, but there are two new computers that are the highlight of the show
The Surface Pro X has been updated to include the Microsoft SQ2 processor. While the SQ1 was basically a Microsoft rebrand of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8Cx processor, the SQ2 is a rebrand of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8Cx 2nd generation processor. This upgrade is very minor, with the 8Cx 2nd generation’s biggest “upgrade” the the addition of 5G cellular support, something Microsoft has taken out of the SQ2. This is a very minor upgrade. Windows on ARM is hobbled by application compatibility issues, but the Pro X hardware is among the best. Internally, the only significant change is the upgrade from the SQ1 processor to the SQ2 processor. Externally, models of the Surface Pro X that have the SQ2 processor can come in either Black or Platinum, which is new this year. To go along with the new models, there are new keyboard covers and Surface Pens for the device that come in different colours. Last year the only option was black, there are now 3 additional colours. This is not really a new model of the Pro X. Microsoft is still selling the device with the SQ1 processor. The SQ2 equipped models are priced at the more expensive end of the product line. The Pro X with an SQ1 starts at $1350, while the Pro X with an SQ2 starts at almost $2000. This is an interesting device that I do not recommend anyone buy.
The bigger announcement from Thursday was the new Surface Laptop Go. This is a more affordable laptop option from Microsoft. The Laptop Go is a 12.4” laptop with a 3:2 aspect ratio. The biggest downside of the screen is that the resolution is 1536 x 1024. This is cut down, and sub 1080p. The screen quality is probably good, but the resolution being sub 1080p is unfortunate. However, the biggest downside of the device is in the storage and ram options on the base model. The least expensive Laptop go is $760, and features 64GB of eMMC storage and just 4GB of ram. 4GB of ram is not great in a windows laptop in late 2020, especially at that price point, but the eMMC storage is unacceptable at that price. eMMC storage is much slower than a normal SSD, especially with write speeds.
Stepping up to $960 you can get a Laptop Go with 128GB of regular storage and 8GB of ram, which will provide a very good experience, but you can get a lot of laptop for that money from other companies.
The Microsoft Surface PC lineup remains a very interesting value proposition. The hardware of Surface devices is very premium, but Microsoft makes really interesting choices to hit certain price points. It has meant that the affordable options are usually significantly less desirable. I’d love to get my hands on this device, but I will have to stick to reading reviews when they come.
https://www.thurrott.com/hardware/241885/microsoft-launches-new-549-surface-laptop-go
HP Announces new Spectre x360
HP has announced its new 2020 model of the Spectre x360 laptop. This is HP’s high end ultrabook, and has been highly regarded for several years. This year, HP has updated the laptop to include a 3:2 aspect ratio display instead of the standard 16:9 display found in most laptops. 3:2 is the same aspect ratio found in Microsoft’s Surface devices, and is one of the biggest selling points of that line. HP including it in the new Spectre x360 makes this a *very* compelling option for users who value productivity.
I really like this laptop, and if I was shopping for a premium thin and light laptop and had the budget for it, this would absolutely be near the top of the list.
IKEA Will Stop Selling Alkaline Batteries
IKEA sold more than 300 million alkaline batteries last year. Those are the single use versions of batteries we use every day, like the AA and AAA batteries found in many devices. The company has announced that by the end of 2021, it will stop selling single use batteries, except for those small coin size batteries. Instead, it will direct customers to purchase rechargeable batteries. The company says that by moving people to rechargeable batteries, up to 5,000 tons of waste can be saved every year compared to buying single use batteries from IKEA.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2020/10/02/ikea-stop-selling-non-rechargeable-batteries-october-2021/