The Microsoft Studio is powerful, but the Surface Dial is the real star

First, let's be clear: The Microsoft Surface Studio is not a "new category" of device, as company executives half-heartedly teased during the keynote leading up the big unveil. It is, fundamentally, an all-in-one PC. Microsoft has managed to give the device enough innovative features that it comes close to transcending the label, but it's still fundamentally a computer.

It also happens to be an incredibly practical one for a certain type of user. For creatives — illustrators, artists, draftspeople, et al. — the Surface Studio's killer feature is easily the chrome hinge that pushes the big 28-inch touchscreen down to a 20-degree angle. In that position, the Studio becomes an ideal digital workstation, with its touch and digital-pen inputs now front and center. It also puts the spotlight on the innovative Surface Dial accessory. Read more...