In 2020, New Zealand created 80,000t of e-waste – only 1600t (or 2%) of that was recycled. When it comes to computers, the majority of e-waste comes from business.

Because of this, Microsoft has launched a local repair service for its Surface range of laptops and tablets for business. Where previously Surface devices were swapped with replacements (and faulty devices exported for refurbishment), they are now repairable within New Zealand through The Laptop Company – the country’s first Surface Authorised Service Provider.

With 88% of overall CO2-equivalent emissions coming from initial device production and shipping, repairing otherwise-perfect devices is the single largest way to reduce CO2-e and e-waste, rather than chucking and replacing with new.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer this service to our Microsoft customers in a really great step forward in terms of sustainability,” says The Laptop Company’s CEO, Mark Mayo. “By opting for repairs over replacements, the carbon footprint of broken or faulty devices is drastically reduced, as faulty units are no longer exported for remanufacture. Being able to repair Surface devices here in NZ means things like broken screens and ports will no longer result in people sending otherwise perfect devices to recycling or landfill.”
 
The Laptop Company will offer the repair service to fleet owners including through their Renew service, which takes broken and out-of-warranty devices, repairs them and reinjects them into fleets to reduce e-waste and unnecessary replacement device purchases.
 
“We’re pleased to be able to locally employ technicians. Our service centres in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Dunedin mean fleet owners can access prompt and reliable repairs and get their users back to business quickly,” says Mayo.

By extending the useful life of broken devices that are otherwise perfect, The Laptop Company is helping deliver Microsoft’s vision for reducing the carbon footprint of New Zealand workplaces.
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“Repairability is a huge issue worldwide, and the average New Zealander produces more than 21kg of e-waste each year. We believe everyone should have safe, reliable, and sustainable options to repair devices rather than sending them to landfill, but sending them to repairers offshore also had an environmental impact. This announcement by The Laptop Company means Kiwis can not only cut emissions by having their devices repaired, but have them repaired locally by a trusted partner, which is great news for our planet and for our customers too,” says Menisha Naran, Senior Marketing Lead, Surface Devices for Microsoft Asia.

About The Laptop Company
The Laptop Company is a multi-award-winning New Zealand-owned Microsoft Surface Partner. Based in Wellington but operating nationwide, The Laptop Company is a trusted supplier to corporate fleets and an official supplier of Surface devices to Government agencies through the All of Government IT Hardware Contract. The Surface ASP programme adds to The Laptop Company’s suite of whole-lifecycle Modern Fleet Management services, which includes asset and user-device management through TLC’s industry-leading Intune device management team.
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About Microsoft Surface:
Microsoft Surface is a line of innovative, premium-quality computing devices that seamlessly combine cutting-edge technology with versatile design for a diverse range of user needs. Designed for Windows 11 and Microsoft 365, the Surface range provides flagship performance and usability in the Modern Workplace. The new generation of Surface devices is the most repairable to date, reflecting the company's commitment to sustainability and customer satisfaction.

Find out more about Microsoft Surface at The Laptop Company >

This is Microsoft's Surface flagship convertible. With a pull-forward display, the device switches from laptop, to easel or tablet without the user needing to undock or unplug their device during use. ​It is one of the only mobile workstations on the market that provides pen and touch interactivity, which can be a boon for creatives, especially at the concept stage. The device is pitched at power users including GIS, engineering, architecture, motion picture, modelling, game development, forecasting, creative, developer, AI, and data science teams. 

This improves the experience when modelling, coding, editing, rendering and encoding. 

It now features a 13th gen Intel Core i7-13800H processor as standard. With Six Performance Cores, plus Eight Efficiency Cores, the new 14 core processor provides considerably more performance than the first Surface Laptop Studio's Four Core 11th gen processor. The Intel Core i5 option has been removed, which makes sense for a mobile workstation device.
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The new model provides considerably more power than the 10 core Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Pro 9 tablets.

The Movidius VPU AI Accelerator is optimised for efficient AI and computer vision, which bodes well for users of software that can make use of it for activities including video tracking and recognition, object recognition, 3D scanning, and image restoration, among other emerging technologies.

The lowest cost NVIDIA option (RTX 4050) benchmarks at an average of 70% more powerful than the old model's NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 Ti. Source: NotebookCheck.com 

The Surface Laptop 2 has VESA DisplayHDR400 certification with up to 500 nits brightness for standard content, and a very high 650 nits for HDR (High Dynamic Range) content including 3D and 4K video.
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Finding a monitor that can match the quality of the Surface Laptop Studio 2 may be challenging - we recommend something like a 27 inch or larger HP Z series 4K display with DreamColor, or a Philips 4K Mini-LED Thunderbolt 4 monitor for similar pixel density, scaling and display performance.  

The new model now supports up to 64GB memory with 16 and 32GB options available. Memory is not upgradeable, so choose wisely based on your application workloads. Memory has also been upgraded from LPDDR4x to LPDDR5x for faster throughput and lower power consumption. 

The new model adds a USB Type A port for legacy devices including wireless keyboard dongles. Bluetooth connectivity is also upgraded from 5.1 to Bluetooth 5.3, and wireless networking is upgraded from Wi-Fi 6 to Wi-Fi 6E with 6GHz compatibility.

Repairability remains the most important way to reduce the carbon foot print and e-waste associated with your devices - especially when minor components are damaged on otherwise perfect devices.
​The Surface Laptop Studio 2 features the most repairable design to date, including replaceable display, mainboard, casing, and ports - making things like accidental cord-trip damage a much lower risk to your total cost of ownership.

The Surface Laptop Studio already provided an exceptional end-user experience with one of the best displays on the market, and a high level of flexibility for user interaction.

Weight has increased with the very heavy-duty performance components to just under 2.0kg for NVIDIA RTX 2000 Ada models, this compares well with other equivalent mobile workstations on the market (few of which offer the flexibility, interactivity or display quality of the Surface Laptop Studio 2 as standard).

The Laptop Company is a multi-award-winning Microsoft Surface Reseller and an official supplier of Surface devices to the All of Government IT Hardware Contract. Contact us for pricing, and to access a demo device.

If you have managed devices, your IT team may have deployed support for tohutō already, this is also available to clients that use Modern Fleet Management and device management services from The Laptop Company. If your Windows 10 device doesn't have tohutō support working, do the following:

* If English (New Zealand) is not displayed under the Preferred languages list, do the following in the Language settings box:

1. Click + Add a language to show the Choose a language to install box.
2. Type New Zealand in the search box.
3. Click English (New Zealand) from the list of results and click Next.
4. Windows will then download and install the New Zealand  language pack. When this is complete it will be added to your list of Preferred languages.
5. Click English (New Zealand) and click the up arrow to make it the default language for your computer, then complete steps 4 to 7 above to enable tohutō character typing.

With the majority of organisations we sell Surface devices to being new to the brand, we make it easy to access the latest Surface devices for evaluation in your environment, and your users.
Try the new Surface range with either Windows 10 or 11 and your own specialist applications, docking stations, monitors, and other peripherals in your user environment. ​Take a guided tour with The Laptop Company and access deal pricing, industry-leading fleet and device management services, and solutions for managing your existing devices.

The Laptop Company. Multi-award-winning Surface Partner of the Year,
All of Government IT Hardware Supplier for Microsoft Surface to the public sector.
Solutions for New Zealand's largest high performance organisations with UXx Enhanced User Experiences.

Updated January 2024

While we miss the engineered style of the Surface Book 3 Dynamic Fulcrum Hinge (and its name), the new Surface Laptop Studio is probably a better bet for users in the real world.

The Surface Book (and the new Surface Laptop Studio) compete with 360-degree 2-in-1 laptops including the Lenovo Yoga and HP x360s hybrids.  Unlike those models, flipping the screen on the old Surface Book required detaching and reattaching the tablet display.   This meant users had to interrupt the connections to their ports, keyboard and graphics card, all of which were housed in the Surface Book’s keyboard.  This required some disruption to the user's workflow, as well as a bit of fumbling.

The new hinge should be less disruptive than the 360 alternatives, which need to be picked up from the desktop to flip the display.  It's certainly less disruptive than removing and re-attaching the display. 
​We might be seeing a few more 2-in-1 hybrid laptops like this.  We know of one or two already.

​The Surface Laptop Studio can switch from laptop, to easel, to tablet without interrupting any applications or needing to unplug anything.  From laptop mode, you can flick the top half of the screen back and pull it forward in to an easel position (with magnetic tethers to hold in place) or pull forward until fully flat for use as a tablet.

​The non-detachable screen means the display can no longer be removed for use as a lightweight standalone tablet. That said, using the older Surface Book's detachable screen as a tablet meant forgoing the NVIDIA graphics that were housed inside the keyboard.  Otherwise, the screen needed to be detached, rotated, and reattached to the keyboard, making a bulkier tablet overall. 
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By comparison, switching between modes on the new Studio is a matter of push and pull.

​There are now 3 different Surface Laptops to choose from. Which is best for which members of your team and how do they compare to the competition?  If you're considering a switch, we've created this guide for you.

Entry level. A 12.4 inch ultraportable laptop starting at 4GB memory and 64GB eMMC storage or our recommended 8GB memory with 128GB or 256GB SSD storage for business users.

Recommended for: Everyday users, students, commuters and field workers who need a light laptop on the road that can power workplace and office applications in the office and at home.
Users moving from older WXGA resolution fleet laptops will appreciate the upgraded screen, extra performance and lower weight of the new Surface Laptop Go. 

Pros: Excellent performance for content creators with Intel Iris Plus graphics, Windows Hello facial recognition, lightweight design and great application performance from an Intel Core i5 1035G7 or Intel Core i7 1065G7 processor, both offering roughly double the graphics power of the Surface Laptop Go. Excellent ergonomics with touch screen, backlit keyboard and on-screen Surface Pen support.

Cons: More expensive than the Surface Laptop Go.  Icons and text on legacy in-house software applications may appear smaller on screen due to the Surface Laptop 3 models' high resolution displays.  Not designed for frequent Pen use as screen is not designed to be detached or flip into tablet mode (see Surface Book 3 for this capability).

Mid-range: A 13.5 inch ultraportable laptop starting at 8GB memory and 128GB SSD storage for business users with high resolution display and Windows Hello facial recognition.

Recommended for: Enterprise application users, commuters and power users who run multiple windows on their screens at the same time.
Users moving from alternative mid-range business laptops will appreciate the screen quality and additional graphics performance of the Surface Laptop 3.

Recommended for: Web and application developers and power users who run multiple windows on their screens at the same time, as well as users who need a larger display and Windows accessibility features enabled for enhanced accessibility. 
Users switching from other big-screen laptops will appreciate the high screen quality and slimmer, lighter design of the Surface Laptop 3 15 inch.  Graphics performance compared to older 15 inch business laptops with dedicated graphics will be similar.

Fleet buyers in New Zealand can access a seed unit at no cost through The Laptop Company before switching to Surface when you register your interest.  Contact us now to secure yours and for terms and conditions.  Click the Contact Us button. 

​Microsoft announced its new Surface Laptop Go – a few of you might want to know whether it’s worth buying for business and how it compares.  As with most Surface devices, there's no direct competitor for the new entry-model. Here’s the run-down.

Microsoft's new entry-level laptop offering.  With a smaller 12.4 inch display, the Surface Laptop Go, slots in below the Surface Laptop 3.  Like the Surface Go 2 tablet, it's smaller, lighter and less expensive than its larger peers. 

The closest alternative in the Surface range is the entry-level Surface Laptop 3 with Intel Core i5.  
We’re omitting the entry level Surface Laptop Go from this comparison.  Although it’s powered by the same processor as the upgrade models, we don’t recommend the entry-level model’s 4GB of RAM or 64eMMC storage for business users. That model also misses out on the fingerprint reader that's standard on the upgrade models.

Bold indicates better.  *4GB Surface Laptop Go available in consumer range, 16GB model available in Platinum

Application performance from the Intel Core i5 1035G1 is generally excellent, and roughly equivalent to both the entry-level Surface Laptop 3 and other current 10th generation Intel Core i5 business laptops. It’s notably more powerful than the Surface Go 2 tablet.
The Surface Laptop Go uses the latest version of the Intel UHD ‘G1’ graphics, which is competitive with most other brand devices – but it can’t match the Intel Iris Plus ‘G7’ graphics that’s standard on the Surface Laptop 3.  The upgrade options available on the Surface Laptop 3 are also more powerful – if you want an i7 processor, or more 256GB storage, opt for the Surface Laptop 3.

The Surface Laptop Go has a smaller 12.4 inch touch screen – as with other Surface Devices this is the squarer 3:2 aspect ratio shape than most competitors widescreen displays.
The display resolution is noticeably lower the Surface Laptop 3’s 13.5 inch display with approximately one third lower horizontal and vertical resolution.  At 1536 x 1024, its resolution is lower than the typical 1920 x 1080 displays seen on other laptops.  This may be a good thing for business users given many in-house legacy software interfaces don’t work well with small screens at high resolutions.  The pixel density is roughly equivalent to a 15.6 inch Full HD screen. Not recommended for users who stack multiple documents or applications on their laptop screen at the same time, unless they want to use an external monitor. 

The Surface Laptop Go is the first Surface device not to support the Surface Pen for on-screen writing and drawing.  That's probably a moot point for most Surface Laptop users.  Unlike the Surface Book, Surface Go or Surface Pro, the Surface Laptop 3 does not have a detachable or reversible keyboard for dedicated pen users.

Both SSD versions of the Surface Laptop Go include an integrated fingerprint reader for Windows Hello authentication.  This is in place of the infrared facial recognition of the Surface Laptop 3.  The fingerprint reader is integrated into the power button for instant-on authentication. 

​Both the Surface Laptop 3 and new Surface Laptop Go are good choices for commuters, students and travellers – both are light, slim and offer good battery life.  Surface Laptop Go users miss out on the illuminated keyboard of the Surface Laptop 3, which is invaluable for presenters and travellers.
Power users, heavy admin-users and creatives should opt for the Surface Laptop 3 to enable stacking of documents onscreen, better graphics performance and should consider the 16GB upgrade. Further up the tree, the Surface Book 3 with dedicated graphics provides the highest performance and greater versatility for power users, professionals and content creators.

This provides sufficient storage for most business users and application performance that's competitive with any other 10th generation business laptop powered by Intel Core i5 despite the entry-level billing. 
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​If you’re considering switching your users to the Surface Laptop Go, please contact us for deal pricing and to book in a demo when these become available.  Being a new form-factor, it's worth trying before buying under our seed programme.
If you’re looking to switch to Surface, ask about our fleet and user migration services to make the move painless.