Microsoft Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 sales begin

Microsoft has formally started selling the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4. Both the new devices were announced in the first week of October and are now available for purchase through various Microsoft Stores, Amazon and Best Buy in the US and Canada.

The Microsoft Surface Book comes with a starting price of $1,499 (£976, €1,354), while the base model of the Surface Pro 4 is available with a price tag of $899. The software giant has provided the latest Windows 10 on both the devices with features such as Cortana integration and Continuum to deliver an all-new computing experience.

Unlike the previous Surface tablet models, the new Surface devices have upgraded, magnesium built, superior hardware. The Surface Book has a 13.5in PixelSense display that delivers more pixels compared to the 13.3in MacBook Pro. The Surface Pro 4, on the other hand, has a 12.3in PixelSense display with 60% more pixels over the Surface Pro 3. The company is promoting the Surface Book as the flagship Windows laptop and the Surface Pro 4 is available as a replacement for existing laptops in the market.

The Surface Book and Surface Pro 4 are both powered by sixth-generation Intel Core (Skylake) processors and come with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage. In addition, the Surface Book has a dedicated Nvidia GeForce GPU to enable high-end graphics.

Microsoft has provided a Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge on the Surface Book that lengthens the base and offsets the weight in the screen. Also, there is an additional battery pack under the base to deliver up to 12 hours of backup on a single charge, while the Surface Pro 4 is claimed to deliver up to nine hours of battery life.

"In designing these products, our team really does consider every detail so that your experience of using them is truly great. As a team, we are so proud to bring these devices to people to use and love every day. These products are all about the people that use them," Panos Panay, corporate vice president for Surface Computing, Microsoft, said in a blog post.

Alongside the Surface Book and Surface Pro 4, Microsoft has also started selling the Surface Pro 4 Type Cover and Surface Dock in the US and Canada.

The Redmond company has not revealed any details about the total stock available. However, it mentions that the Surface Book will be available in "limited quantities" as it apparently received an overwhelming response during the initial round of pre-orders in early October.