My Microsoft Surface Book Looked Death in the Face and Said ‘Not Today’

In 2017, I picked up a Surface Book II to review. While, as a photographer, I didn’t like it, I had to admit that it did tick a lot of boxes for the average user.

The Surface Book

I don’t have a lot of praise to heap on Microsoft’s Surface line, but I will say that of all the designs it has attempted over the years, the Book was always my favorite. The hinge is the best part; described as a “dynamic fulcrum,” it expands when opened and contracts to close. It’s neat-looking but, more importantly, very functional.

It also supported two screen mounting directions: standard or reverse. Standard would keep it looking and feeling like a traditional laptop, while reverse would allow you to close the Book fully but still access the screen, so it would act like a tablet.

This was always, though, a laptop first. Surface computers were (and arguably still are) advertised more as a tablet hybrid with an optional keyboard, but the Book was always more traditional. The other thing I liked about it (and there really are just two things) was the keyboard. It felt nice to type on. The mechanical keys felt satisfying to press and, combined with the responsive trackpad, using the Book felt good.

Well, that is before you asked it to do anything. It’s not powerful enough to really do much in the way of photo editing and is terrible for video editing. And while it could run video games (The Sims has been played on it), it’s not a good gaming computer either. The next and final iteration, the final Surface Book 3, did not really address this core issue, and so the Book series died.

The biggest problem with the Surface Book, in my opinion, was the cost versus the performance. To get a “good” one would run you north of $3,000, and it still wouldn’t be particularly adept for power users. Its ideal user is my wife, who just pushes daily tasks through it and has since I left it sitting in the living room those many years ago. For most people, that would make it too expensive to rationalize.

The dents and scratches give it character.

But it does explain how and why she’s really loved this little computer for the last decade, and why she was distraught when it appeared to be on its deathbed.

I’m Tired, Boss

Last weekend, nearly nine years after it rolled off the manufacturing line, it looked as though its journey would finally come to an end. It fell off the couch for what must have been the 824th time and immediately started malfunctioning. The keyboard unit, while still attached, refused to connect to the display unit, and the fan was cranking at full bore.

“It’s had a good run,” I told my wife. “But I think it might be time to say goodbye.”

She was distraught. She had grown to love this laptop, not because it was particularly good at anything, but because it was reliable. These days, we’re lucky to keep electronics for four or five years. But nearly a decade? That’s unheard of. Up until that last tumble off the couch, it had loyally served as a Pinterest and budgeting device through thick and thin. It was hard to see it go.

The screen still worked, so using the touch controls, my wife was able to migrate everything of value to cloud storage and prepare the little laptop for its final rest. She looked at me and asked if there was really nothing I could do for it, and I said I would try one more thing: a true, full reset.

Because the keyboard wasn’t connecting to the screen, I had no way of actually turning it off. The only thing we could do was set it on the dining room table and let the battery die. The fan, by the way, still screamed, so I didn’t think we had to wait all that long.

Wake Up, Chief

The next morning, I checked on the laptop and found the fan was still going. For a computer and battery that old, I was really surprised. But, luckily, two hours later, it finally stopped. And so, with very little hope this would actually work, I took the loyal old laptop to my office, plugged it in, and let it fully recharge.

Today, I opened it up, held the power button, and watched the screen glow to life. The “type your PIN” screen appeared and, as if there was never anything wrong, the keyboard worked perfectly.

The Surface Book looked death in the face, and said “not today.”

This laptop did anything but impress me when I first used it over a decade ago, but today, looking at it staring back at me, faithfully ready to continue to serve, I couldn’t help but swell a bit with emotion.

Here’s to nine more years, little friend.