Microsoft has revealed plans to axe its low-cost Surface Go devices, marking the end of one of the more interesting (yet personally frustrating) parts of its hardware journey.
A report from Windows Central claims both the Surface Go and Surface Laptop Go devices are no longer being manufactured, with no successors or updates currently planned.
This makes them the latest Surface device to be sent for an early bath – but I for one won’t be too sad, having been forced to use the Surface Laptop Go for some time.
Why I’m glad the Surface Laptop Go is gone
At its launch, the budget-friendly devices were pitched by Microsoft as ideal for large-scale deployments, such as schools or universities. But for larger businesses, they were also ideal for bulk handouts to workers, especially those on the go who might appreciate a light and compact device.
Here at TechRadar, we were intrigued when our parent company announced we would be getting a Surface Laptop Go as a personal work device – surely this portable and powerful machine would be ideal for us.
As a journalist and editor, I’m often dashing around the city heading to meetings, events, interviews and briefings, so I guess this sort of device might have been perfect for me – however it had a number of issues which made it anything but.
Chief among these was the battery life, which was advertised as being set up for a full working day, but was anything but. After around an hour’s usage, the battery would inevitably always be draining fast – not ideal if you’re reporting on a conference keynote, or running around a show floor looking to grab interviews.
The power of the device was another major hassle – it really struggled with anything more than a few browser windows, which obviously isn’t ideal for someone like me who often has a whole host of tabs open for multiple sources of information, or social media feeds.
Opening up any more than a few programs would cause a frankly alarming amount of heat to start issuing from the vents on the back of the device, with the cooling fans emitting a sound similar to a jet engine taking off.
The low-resolution display was also a bit of a let-down, often failing to show any kind of brightness even on the highest setting, another major issue when juggling multiple programs or windows.
Finally, the lack of a back-lit keyboard was a real frustration – this might not obviously be the case for everyone, but have you ever tried to type in a dark theatre while reporting on a keynote or speech? It is…not ideal.
Microsoft hasn’t finished its Surface line-up by any means – in fact, the company recently unveiled its latest Surface Laptop Pro devices a few weeks ago, and I’ve been road-testing one for the last few weeks, enjoying a device which actually performs and lasts a whole day.
So thanks for the memories, Surface Laptop Go (and Surface Go, I guess) – I won’t miss you, but I appreciate your push to motivate me to always go for the higher-cost devices when it’s something I rely upon every day.
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