New Surface line-up seeing strong commercial demand in India: Microsoft

Already witnessing a strong commercial demand for existing Surface laptops, Microsoft India on Monday said that driven by the needs of remote working, the company is seeing a surge in demand for Windows PCs, including the new Surface line-up, to continue among both the enterprises and individuals in the country.

Microsoft this month launched Surface Pro X, Surface Pro 7 and Surface Laptop 3 in India at a starting price of Rs 98,999, Rs 72,999 and Rs 98,999, respectively.

According to Amrita Sapre, Devices Head, Microsoft India, it is incredible to see customers adapt and scale to sustain critical products and services – all while preparing for a post-pandemic comeback and the ‘new normal’.

“We saw strong demand as companies and individuals around the world adjusted to working and learning remotely during Covid-19. We are seeing strong commercial demand with our Surface products. Driven by the needs of remote working, we expect the demand for Windows PCs including Surface, to continue,” she told IANS.

The all-new Surface Pro X is Microsoft’s latest 2-in-1 laptop. Measuring a mere 7.3mm and weighing at 774 grams, Surface Pro X features a 13-inch edge-to-edge PixelSense display.

The device also features a custom processor developed in partnership with Qualcomm, making it 2.3 times faster than previous generations, and is coupled with full solid-state drive (SSD) size and speed, and dual 4K video output via USB-C.

Surface Pro X aims to offer all-day battery life of up to 13 hours, fast-charging to about 80% within just an hour and LTE connectivity.

“Surface Pro remains the most versatile 2:1 device you can buy – whether you choose Surface Pro 7 or the brand new ultra-mobile Surface Pro X. The Surface Pro X stands at the intersection of mobility, productivity and speed,” said Sapre.

Redesigned from the inside out, the other device – Surface Pro 7 – is more powerful than ever with the latest quad-core, 10th Generation Intel Core processor, and is 2.3 times faster than previous generations.

Meanwhile, the all-new Surface Laptop 3 retains its iconic slim, sleek and lightweight design but is now twice as fast as previous generations, with faster multitasking and improved graphics.

To help navigate the current environment, people are turning to Windows PCs more than ever.

Over four trillion minutes are being spent on Windows 10 a month, a 75% increase year on year.

“Surface is driven by a singular ambition – to build the most productive devices on the planet to help people achieve more. As the Surface family of devices expands, our goal is to design a Surface for every person, every work style and every location,” said Sapre.

Surface delivers the security features you need, with modern and increased control to effectively manage devices, wherever they may be.

“We have a multi-layered, end-to-end approach to security across the entire Surface portfolio. Organisations can revolutionise the way new devices get deployed with over-the-air, instant, and secure device deployment, including automatic device identification and imaging setup through Windows Autopilot,” informed the Microsoft India executive.

Recent advances in security research demonstrate that as more protections are built into the operating system (OS) and connected services, attackers are looking for other avenues of exploitation with firmware emerging as a top target.

According to Sapre, Microsoft Surface has a unified approach to firmware protection and device security through complete end-to-end ownership of the hardware design, in-house firmware development, and a holistic approach to device updates and management.

“All Surface for Business devices ship with Windows 10 Pro, with powerful built-in security features including automatic updates, BitLocker, and cloud-powered intelligent security to protect your devices from modern threats,” said Sapre.