(Image: CNET)

Microsoft's new Surface Book 2 is a beast. Once again Microsoft is schooling Apple on what a modern laptop should be.

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Apple has gone from leading the way when it came to high-performance laptops to getting mired in mediocre updates and gimmicks such as the Touch Bar. On the other hand, Microsoft is pushing the boundaries and creating powerhouse laptops aimed at professionals and creative types.

And the new Surface Book 2 is exactly what the MacBook Pro should be (minus Windows 10, of course), but isn't.

Here are just a few of the ways that the Surface Book 2 blows away the MacBook Pro:

It's versatile and can be used in many more ways than just as a laptop

8th-generation Intel processors (lots of performance and power advantages from just this alone)

High-performance Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 and 1060 discrete graphics options

Up to 17 hours of battery life (10 hours is no longer enough)

Multi-touch, Surface Pen, and Surface Dial on-screen support

Full array of ports, including USB-A, USB-C, and full-size SD card reader, so no need for dongles (MacBooks are a world of dongle hurt right now)

This right here is what people want from a laptop, not this obsession with "thinner and lighter," fewer ports, and gimmicks like the Touch Bar.

The problem with Apple is that it's consumed by trying to switch people from laptops to the iPad or iPad Pro, while still trying to keep it's MacBook and MacBook Pro line going with boring refreshes and adding stuff that people never needed, wanted, or asked for.

Apple has lost its way. The focus it once had on making high-performance hardware aimed at professionals is gone, and instead, the company is now chasing the mainstream market and maximizing its profit margins. There no longer feels like there's room in Apple's lineup for something as new, exciting, and functional as the Surface Book 2.

This is why we ended up with the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar instead of something more like the Surface Book 2.

Apple, when you're being outdone on hardware by Microsoft, it's time to raise your game!

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