Microsoft’s Surface Book 2 is definitely an improvement over the Surface Book and Surface Book with performance base. While we don’t know what the broad range of reviews due next month will conclude, we do know that Consumer Reports at the very least will not be recommending it.

In a response to a curious query from Benzinga, a Consumer Reports spokesperson had the following to say.

We will evaluate the performance of the Microsoft Surface Book 2 once we get it into our labs next month for testing, but we will not be able to recommend it. Our decision to withhold our recommendation of all Microsoft laptops and tablets is still in effect.

Microsoft earlier had its ratings stripped by Consumer reports earlier this year, citing reliability issues. The firm denied the accuracy of the findings and argued that its products had improved in reliability –which they pretty much had to say of course.

Now, as there have been no wide-spread errors with the Surface Pro (anymore) and the Surface Laptop, and the Surface Pro 4 has had most of its issues fixed, the firm should expect to get better reliability scores and its recommendation status restored assuming continued reliability in its current lineup.

Of course, anyone who expected Consumer Reports to change their thoughts about the Surface and long-term reliability over the course of 3 months was only kidding themselves. Claims about long-term reports are something that should not be handed out or rescinded lightly, lest they risk becoming useless. Microsoft’s Surfaces will have to earn their way back to the recommended list, and that’s not a bad thing for consumers.