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.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft puts Cortana in your ear with Surface Headphones

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.

At this point, with the Surface Pro 6 starting at $899 (with no keyboard cover) and the Surface Laptop 2 starting at $999, it seems the main thing separating them is personal preference for the form factor. Those who prioritize portability will naturally gravitate to the Pro, while anyone who can’t compromise at all on the keyboard will make a beeline for the laptop.

Speaking of that keyboard, Microsoft said the keys on the Surface Laptop 2 have just 1.5mm of travel. This isn’t a big re-invention, like the MacBooks’ butterfly keyboard — the Surface keys look and feel much the same as before — although typing did feel a hair smoother than on the gen-1 Laptop.

If using your PC as an actual laptop most of the time is important to you, the Pro still isn’t your ideal choice.

It’s certainly night and day when going from the Surface Pro’s Type Cover, which, although still the best possible approximation of a laptop keyboard, it remains just that: an approximation. If using your PC as an actual laptop most of the time is important to you, the Pro still isn’t your ideal choice.

Not that it’s a slouch. Websites loaded fast, and apps launched in seconds. While inking on a note with the Surface Pen, I didn’t detect any latency, and the pen was incredibly good at pressure sensitivity, thickening the lines appropriately as I wrote. I look forward to seeing if the performance and battery life improvements are really as good as Microsoft says.

On the Surface Laptop, the matte black finish is arguably even better looking since there’s no crease where the hinge folds out. The gray fabric on the inside complements it nicely. Again, otherwise there’s not much to say other than it performed well with the basic web surfing and inking I did (though it’s impossible to say if it’s truly 85 percent better than the previous version, as Microsoft said).

I would definitely consider the Surface Laptop 2 as an alternative to the MacBook Air.

All the same ports (USB, MiniDisplay, headphone jack) are there, and if you’re not married to Apple, I would definitely consider the Surface Laptop 2 as an alternative to the MacBook Air.

Lest we forget the Surface Studio 2. The upgrade to the screen supposedly made it more contrasty and brighter, although it’s not like the screen was lacking before. As I did some brushstrokes and created a couple of 3D images in Microsoft Paint 3D, the colors looked fantastic, with textures that really made the objects look real. Again, latency on the inking was virtually nonexistent — it really did feel like marking up paper.

Microsoft says it made all three of the Surfaces better with this iteration, improving things like battery life, performance, and even the camera on the Surface Pro. However, there are no redesigns, radical or otherwise, with any of these products — not even to add the long-demanded USB-C connector.

That sends a message: Not that Microsoft has perfected PC design, but that Surface is more about iterating on how people actually use computers today, not what anyone wishes they might be tomorrow. With this round of Surface products, Microsoft has fully integrated at least one feature: playing it safe.

Uber’s e-scooter fleet is finally here. 

The company’s recently acquired electric bike company, Jump, was one of four operators granted an operating permit in Santa Monica, California. Starting Wednesday, Jump’s red motorized electric scooters will be available for rent in the Uber app.

SEE ALSO: Uber wants to use scooters and bikes to become the ‘Amazon of transportation’

Santa Monica is the first city to receive Jump’s rental e-scooters, which look similar to the Jump e-bike’s red design. Since Jump already has 500 e-bikes in the Los Angeles-adjacent city, it can only have 250 scooters available through the city’s pilot program. 

To ride the battery-powered scooters you can switch to the “bike and scooter” mode in the Uber app and you can see where the nearest (and charged) scooter is located. Like with the bikes, you scan the scooters, which unlocks the device, and then you can ride. Once done scooting, you simply drop it off anywhere (out of the way, please) and end your trip. Your payment info already in the app will be charged.

The pricing is somewhat comparable to the e-bikes starting with $1 to “reserve” or unlock the scooter. That comes with a free five minutes and then it’s 15 cents per minute. This is intended for quick, shorter-distance trips.

The scooter arrival is the start of Uber’s self-proclaimed transformation into a mobility company — not just an order-a-car company. With its bike-share through Jump already in 10 cities and the scooters expected to arrive in more cities eventually (Jump was denied a permit to operate in San Francisco), Uber’s well on its way to becoming the “Amazon of transportation” all in one app. 

A partnership with Lime e-scooters is supposed to come online soon and when that happens even more scooters in more cities will be rentable through the same app that you order a car.

It’s kind of obvious if you think about it.

Apple as driven a lot of the conversation in the “smart” headphones space in the past couple of years thanks the AirPods. The untethered white earbuds are well on their way to becoming ubiquitous, leading everyone in the headphone space to go smaller, and “true” wireless to catch some of the ripples caused by Apple’s big splash.

But that leaves a gap — at least in attention — on the other side of the spectrum: large-size, over-the-ear headphones with more immersive sound. 

Certainly, that category hasn’t exactly been dormant ever since Beats arrived on the scene almost a decade ago, but there is no go-to smart pair of cans that are anywhere near as iconic as AirPods.

Microsoft just put in its bid to be that product. The Surface Headphones are, in a nutshell, Microsoft’s answer to Apple AirPods: a smart headphone that integrates with a digital assistant, but in an over-the-ear design that incorporates high-end features like noise cancellation.

SEE ALSO: Microsoft puts Cortana in your ear with Surface Headphones

I got a chance to try out Microsoft’s Surface Headphones shortly after they were unveiled, and I came away really liking them. They sound great, the controls are intuitive, and they have a nice finish, although the actual color is a little meh.

Let’s start there, shall we? The Surface Headphones are the same color as the recent Surface Pros: silver. Which is fine, but to me it lacks personality. Even Apple’s bright white EarPods and AirPods, as basic as they are, are more distinctive. When I talked to Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay after the event, he hinted that we might someday see a pair with a matte black finish like the new Surfaces, but I wouldn’t hold my breath.

Comfort is a big deal for any headphone, and the Surface Headphones scored highly here. The fit wasn’t too snug, but it wasn’t too loose either. I didn’t wear them long enough to get in a space where I forgot I was wearing headphones (the ideal), but I could see me getting there. 

They weren’t quite as comfy as, say, a high-end Bose pair like the QuietComfort 35’s (Bose has been perfecting headphone comfort for decades), but they were pretty close.

There are dials on either earcup for controlling volume (left) and the level of noise cancelation (right). Noise cancellation first: The control works very well. Microsoft says there are 13 levels of noise control, and you need a decent-size dial to give you the fine level of manipulation you need.

When I turned the dial, it was dramatic to go from hearing the loud din of the entire demo room in my ears (clearly, the four dedicated mics were being used to enhance sound on that end of the scale) to whisper-quiet on the other end. If I concentrated, I could still make out most of the conversation the two people right next to me (noise cancellation isn’t full sound cancellation), but I could finally appreciate the music I was streaming from the Surface Pro in front of me.

The sound made an impression. 

The sound made an impression. On the first tune I listened to, Drake’s “In My Feelings,” the bass was strongly present, almost overpowering. I thought maybe the headphones might have been tuned to be a little too bass-heavy (common in over-the-ear headphones, unfortunately), but then I listened to a track by Adele and those fears went away as I was fully captivated by her crystal-clear voice.

Finally, there’s the smarts, which in Microsoft’s case means Cortana integration. A tap on the right earcup calls up Microsoft’s digital assistant, or at least it appeared to. Cortana’s blue halo appeared on the Surface Pro screen in front of me, complete with the suggestion to call up a timer, but it never responded to any command I uttered after that.

Perhaps the sound preferences were set wrong or there’s a bug to be worked out. It’s also unclear just how effortless the Surface Headphones’ setup process is, or whether they automatically pair across all your Microsoft devices when you activate them for the first time — two big reasons why the AirPods experience is so good.

I look forward to giving the Surface Headphones the full review treatment to answer those questions. Because if all Microsoft has done here is create a nice-sounding pair of premium Bluetooth headphones, it’ll have missed a great opportunity to finally give an answer to AirPods that doesn’t just look like an imitation.