Microsoft Surface laptop release date, specs and price: Alcantara suede keyboard, new Windows 10 version and more

Microsoft’s answer to the Apple MacBook and iPad, the Microsoft Surface, has been leaked in photos. Interestingly, it has got a new bizarre feature that has got everyone talking. Leakster WalkingCat was the first to reveal the photos of the MacBook rival.

The new Surface laptop was leaked just hours ahead of its launch. The company later officially unveiled the device at a New York press conference. The company has also confirmed that it is bringing out the new device in four colour options, including, graphite gold, cobalt blue, burgundy and platinum. But that one feature that has got the Internet divide in their opinion is the furry-looking keyboard. It seems to be made of a material, more common in steering wheels of 1980s.

According to The Sun, the interior of the new Surface laptop will be covered in Alcantara suede, a substance known to be extremely grubby. Such a material is impossible to clean, quickly taking the appearance of a filthy sandbox. Moreover, the material is insanely expensive. Aside the suede feature, the Surface feature seems to be very similar to the Chromebook and MacBook. The device is expected to be priced at around US$999 (AU$1,300 approx), and will weigh about 2.76lbs. It will be 14.47 m.m. thin at the back and 9.9 m.m. thin at the front.

The Microsoft Surface laptop will be released on June 15. It runs a new version of Windows 10. The device is more suitable for school and college-going kids. There is a headphone jack, mini DisplayPort and USB 3.0 port. The lack of ports is definitely a problem. Microsoft is continuing its rejection of the USB Type-C ports. The cloth-like alcantara fabric coats the palm rest and lies beneath the keyboard. It is the signature design feature of the Surface laptop. It’s soft and notably different but may not be more luxurious than metal, writes The Business Insider.

The display is very sharp, bright and responsive. The speakers are placed underneath the keyboard. Microsoft promises 14.5 hours of battery life. It is powered by an Intel Core i5 chip, though there is an option for a stronger Core i7 chip with upgraded graphics. Users can get 4, 8 or 16GB of RAM with internal storage of 128, 256 or 512 GB. It is the Windows 10 operating system that will ultimately determine whether the Surface laptop is worth buying or not. The Australian pricing of the laptop has not been confirmed yet by the company.