Microsoft unveils Surface Studio iMac clone - with a price to match

All-in-one desktop offers touchscreen, more pixels than a 4K TV and a 'Surface Dial' - for $2,999

Microsoft has, as expected, unveiled the Surface Studio, a touchscreen, all-in-one high-end desktop PC modelled on the Apple iMac - with the same kind of high end price.

The Surface Studio offers a 28-inch fold-down display, enabling users to more easily use the touchscreen for heavy duty work, with a particular focus on creativity.

The device was unveiled at the same event that the company took the wraps off of the company's forthcoming Redstone update to Windows 10, which Microsoft has labelled the Windows 10 Creator's Update. This will bring 3D creation capabilities to the operating system.

The forged aluminium iMac-esque all-in-one houses a 28in PixelSense touchscreen display, which Microsoft claims offers 13.5 million pixels, or 63 per cent more than a 4K ultra-HD TV. The monitor itself measures in at a skinny 12.5mm thick, and apparently houses the thinnest display that's ever been created.

The Studio display offers a feature called TrueColour, enabling creative types to change the colour space, while a tool called True Scale allows the 28-inch screen to display print products at actual scale.

As expected, the screen can also fold flat(ish) thanks to what Microsoft calls its zero-gravity hinge, enabling users to doodle on the touchscreen display as if it were a drawing board.

Microsoft has also introduced the Surface Dial for interacting with the display, a paddle that enables users to scroll and interact with the massive touchscreen. For example, when the Dial is placed on the Studio's screen, a radial menu pops up around it, allowing you to select a different colour or brush options.

Surface Dial will also work with Surface Book, Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4 for offscreen functions, Microsoft said.

In terms of specifications, the Surface Studio packs an Intel Core processor, Nvidia GPU, 32GB RAM and a 2TB hybrid hard drive. There's four USB 3.0 ports, Ethernet, Audio, D and Mini DisplayPort connections. These are packed into a box on the base of the monitor.

Mimicking the Amazon Echo, the Surface Studio comes with voice control baked-in, enabling you to bark commands at Cortana from across the room.

The Surface Studio is available to pre-order in the US from today priced at $2,999, but Microsoft has warned that there will be a limited quantity. There's no word on UK availability yet, but it's unlikely to weigh-in at less than £2,500.

Microsoft also unveiled an updated version of its Surface Book laptop. The company claims that the updated device is the most powerful laptop it, or anyone else, has ever produced, thanks to its Intel i7 processor, redesigned thermal system, an additional fan, and a boosted 16-hour battery life.