2-in-1 PC

A 2-in-1 PC is a category of portable computers, containing devices that combine elements of tablets and laptops. Different variants of the term exist, such as 2-in-1 tablet, 2-in-1 laptop, laplet, or simply 2-in-1.

Before the emergence of 2-in-1s, the terms convertible and hybrid were already being used in the computer industry and by technology journalists. Convertibles typically feature some type of keyboard concealment mechanism, in some cases allowing the user to rotate or slide the keyboard behind the back of the chassis, while the hybrid's keyboard is completely detachable without interrupting the running system. Both convertibles and hybrids are crossover devices, combining features of both a tablet and a laptop, however, the 2-in-1 is a sibling class of both these categories, dubbed the 2-in-1 convertible or 2-in-1 detachable respectively, but distinct from other convertibles and hybrids by the support of a full-featured desktop operating system, such as Windows 10 and featuring a number of I/O-ports for extra connectivity to various standard PC peripheral devices.

Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface (or simply Surface) is a series of Windows-based personal computing devices designed and manufactured by Microsoft under its hardware division, a part of the Windows and Devices group. It comprises hybrid tablets, 2-in-1 detachables, and an interactive whiteboards.

The first generation devices under the Surface name were introduced on June 18, 2012, and the most recent models currently available are the Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book, which were released on October 26, 2015.

The Surface family consists of three major lines of PCs: the Surface line comprises budget 2-in-1 detachables (while the previous now discontinued models of this line were Windows RT-powered hybrid tablets), designed for budget-oriented consumers and educational users, the Surface Pro line of 2-in-1 detachables, designed for demanding users, and the Surface Book, the line consisting of a single 2-in-1 detachable, positioned as a laptop. There is also the Surface Hub, an interactive whiteboard.

Windows 10

Windows 10 is a personal computer operating system released by Microsoft as part of the Windows NT family of operating systems. It was officially unveiled in September 2014 following a brief demo at Build 2014. The first version of the operating system entered a public beta testing process in October 2014, leading up to its consumer release on July 29, 2015, and its release to volume licensing on August 1, 2015. To encourage the adoption of Windows 10, Microsoft announced that during its first year of availability, upgrades to the operating system would be made available free of charge to users of genuine copies of eligible editions of Windows 7, and Windows 8 after update to Windows 8.1.

Windows 10 introduces what Microsoft described as a "universal" application architecture; expanding on Metro-style apps, these apps can be designed to run across multiple Microsoft product families with nearly identical code‍—‌including PCs, tablets, smartphones, embedded systems, Xbox One, Surface Hub and HoloLens. The Windows user interface was revised to handle transitions between a mouse-oriented interface and a touchscreen-optimized interface based on available input devices‍—‌particularly on 2-in-1 PCs; both interfaces include an updated Start menu that blends elements of Windows 7's traditional Start menu with the tiles of Windows 8. The first release of Windows 10 also introduces a virtual desktop system, a window and desktop management feature called Task View, the Microsoft Edge web browser, support for fingerprint and face recognition login, new security features for enterprise environments, and DirectX 12 and WDDM 2.0 to improve the operating system's graphics capabilities for games.

Surface Pro 4

The Surface Pro 4 is the fourth-generation Surface-series 2-in-1 detachable, designed, developed, marketed, and produced by Microsoft. The Surface Pro 4 was announced on October 6, 2015 alongside the Surface Book. In the U.S. and Canada, Surface Pro 4 was released on October 26, 2015.

Surface Pro 4 is an evolutionary update over its predecessor, featuring more power-efficient and powerful CPUs, more capacious RAM and SSD options, a slightly bigger display with a greater resolution, and a better cooled chassis. At the same time, the device is compatible with all of its predecessor's accessories.

History

The Surface Pro 4 was announced on October 6, 2015 alongside the Surface Book. Both devices were available for a pre-order the following day and available for customers beginning on October 26, 2015.

Features

Hardware

The Surface Pro 4 is the same size of the Surface Pro 3, but has a thinner screen bezel which allows for a display of a slightly greater size of 12.3 inches (31 cm). The screen resolution is also larger at 2736x1824 at 267 PPI, with the same aspect ratio of 3:2 and 10-point multi-touch. The chassis is 0.03 inches (0.76 mm) thinner and 0.03 pounds (14 g) lighter than the Surface Pro 3.

Surface Pro

The Surface Pro is a first generation 2-in-1 detachable of the Microsoft Surface series, designed and manufactured by Microsoft. The device ran a 64-bit version of Windows 8 Pro operating system with a free upgrade possibility to Windows 8.1 Pro, and eventually also Windows 10. Initially announced as Surface for Windows 8 Pro on June 18, 2012, at a Los Angeles event, Microsoft later renamed the device to Surface Pro, and launched it on February 9, 2013.

History

Microsoft did not take pre-orders for the Surface Pro. It was available for a purchase on February 9, 2013, in the United States, Canada and China and was released on 23 May 2013, in the United Kingdom and a number of other countries.

Features

Hardware

The Surface Pro shares a lot of its design traits with its lower cost counterpart, the original Surface hybrid tablet, announced on the same day. Both have the dark VaporMg coating over the same magnesium body and a 10-point multi-touch enabled 10.6 inches (27 cm) screen with crack resistant Gorilla Glass. The Wifi is 802.11 a/b/g/n.