The new Surface lineup shows Microsoft has mastered playing it safe

Let me save you some time: Microsoft's new Surface Pro 6, Surface Laptop 2, and Surface Studio 2 don't mess with a good thing. They're all the same as before, more or less.

Microsoft clearly was reluctant to tinker with the line, design-wise, instead updating some key specs, putting in current silicon (Intel's 8th Gen Core CPUs), and adding a new color to the Pro and Laptop: matte black, which Panos Panay, the company's chief product officer, told me was more difficult to create than you'd think.

But the matte black finish for the main Surface PCs is probably the change this iteration of the line will be most known for. And it is gorgeous. Even under the intense studio lighting in the hands-on area after the unveiling event (which tends to bring out flaws), the machines looked great, and this was after being handled by one person after another. The shiny Microsoft logo in back attracted a few fingerprints, but that's about it. Read more...