Steve Kovach and Matt Weinberger November 19, 2016 at 05:00AM
The last few months have been full of surprises, and not just in the political world.
Microsoft and Apple, the PC market's two long-running rivals, are going head to head this Fall with a pair of impressive new laptops targeted at power-hungry pro users.
Microsoft's Surface Book, which launched last year, got a big power boost this year. Meanwhile, the MacBook Pro got its first major redesign in about four years.
Each laptop packs new features sure to please its constituents. But after taking a close look at the two machines and putting them through their paces, the non-partisan Business Insider was forced to acknowledge that Microsoft, a newcomer to the hardware game, came out on top.
Here's why:
SEE ALSO: All the cool things you can do with the new MacBook Pro
What is the MacBook Pro?
Apple's new MacBook Pro has been completely redesigned. It's now about as thin and light as the MacBook Air, but it has a lot more power under the hood. It also has Apple's high-resolution Retina display.
But the key feature on the MacBook Pro is the new Touch Bar, which replaces the traditional physical function keys with a row of digital keys that change depending on the app you're using.
The MacBook Pro comes in two sizes: 13-inch or 15-inch. There's also a 13-inch model without the Touch Bar, but we're only going to focus on the Touch Bar models for this comparison.
What is the Surface Book?
The Surface Book is the result of Microsoft's quest to build what it calls the "ultimate laptop."
To that end, the Surface Book sports a lot of processing power, a big, beautiful touchscreen display, and the Surface Pen stylus for notetaking and sketching.
For extra computing power, you can kick it up a notch: Certain models of the Surface Book include a dedicated graphics processing unit, or GPU, great for gaming or creative work. And just recently, Microsoft introduced the Surface Book with Performance Base, a premium edition with even more juice under the hood.
But the Surface Book's most crowd-pleasing feature is the ability for the screen to actually detach and become a fully-functional tablet in its own right.
Price
MacBook Pro: The 13-inch model starts at $1,799. The 15-inch model starts at $1,999. But you'll likely spend more than that when you upgrade the RAM, processor, or storage.
Surface Book: The most basic Surface Book model starts at $1,499, and gets you the detachable screen and the Surface Pen stylus. The Surface Book with dedicated graphics in the base starts at $1,899, and the top-of-the-line Performance Base models start at $2,400. You'll have to shell out extra for more storage or RAM.
Winner: Surface Book. Although the MacBook Pro is cheaper, you get more features and power, like a dedicated graphics processor, for your money with the Surface Book. (Keep reading for more details.)
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
Microsoft's Surface Book beats the new MacBook Pro — here's why (AAPL, MSFT) from Business Insider: Steve Kovach
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