Microsoft Announces Surface Book, a Laptop of Its Own Design

By Shira Ovide

Microsoft Corp. announced a laptop-like device of its own design, pushing the company further into the computing-hardware business.

Microsoft's Surface devices combine aspects of a tablet computer and a Windows PC, featuring a detachable keyboard. Microsoft at a press event Tuesday in New York unveiled a new model called the Surface Book, which executives billed as more like a laptop than earlier Surface models, though the Surface Book, too, has a keyboard that can be detached.

Microsoft said the Surface Book, with a 13.5-inch screen, has a starting price of $1,499. Apple Inc.'s MacBook Pro, to which Microsoft executives compared the Surface Book, starts at $1,299 with a high-resolution 13-inch screen. Microsoft said the Surface Book will be available for purchase Oct. 26.

Microsoft executives didn't immediately address the potential for backlash from computer makers such as Dell Inc. that make laptops powered by Microsoft's Windows operating system. As Microsoft releases more of its self-designed hardware, it has the potential to ramp up competition with the cadre of PC makers on which Microsoft has relied for decades to generate Windows licensing revenue.

Write to Shira Ovide at shira.ovide@wsj.com

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires

October 06, 2015 12:34 ET (16:34 GMT)

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