When I first reviewed the Surface Book back in 2015, I was amazed at how quickly Microsoft turned itself into a premium hardware manufacturer and established the Surface as a high quality brand. But I was frustrated that the devices seemed destined to be hybrid machines — combination laptops and tablets  — to show off the dual personality of Windows 10.

All I really want from a laptop is something thin and light, with that Surface build quality.

Well, Microsoft has answered the call. The Surface Laptop is not a hybrid, although it is sporting a touchscreen in its traditional laptop case.

The machine bares a strong resemblance to Apple's previous generation ultra-portable, the MacBook Air, with one notable upgrade: the Surface Laptop has a beautiful, high resolution screen. It's also thinner and lighter.

The most striking feature of the Surface is the much discussed alcantara keyboard. Alcantara is the same material used in luxury car dashboards, and it gives the laptop a new car smell. It feels somewhere between soft leather and a cotton fabric blend. Microsoft notes it requires some cleaning (you can wipe it with a damp cloth) but the material is supposed to "age gracefully" like a fine leather jacket.

I can't guarantee how it will hold up over the long term, but I can say the material makes resting your palms on the keyboard a lot more comfortable than a traditional laptop, and gives the Surface a unique, warm feel different to the standard cold aluminium and glass surfaces I'm used to.

The Surface Laptop runs Windows 10 S, a new version of Windows that only accepts apps downloaded from Microsoft's Windows Store. That made this review a little tricky as my usual benchmarking apps, Photoshop, a few Steam Games, even Google's Chrome browser, aren't available.

You can upgrade to a full version of Windows 10 Pro, for free, until the end of the year. The upgrade, which ordinarily comes with a one-time fee, allows you to download anything from the wild west of the web. It's hard to say whether you should. Windows 10 S is lightweight and zippy on this laptop, and the average student or office worker living in Google Docs or Office 365 probably has no need for anything more. Windows 10 S should also be a lot safer from viruses, ransomware, and other internet nasties.

But unfortunately you'll probably need to upgrade to get the most out of this laptop. The Windows Store just doesn't have a wide enough range of power apps to get a user through the day. Even Apple's iPad has a deeper bench of professional apps.

The keyboard on the Surface Laptop is one of the most comfortable I've typed on. The keys feel as solid as the latest generation Apple Keyboards, with none of their downsides, like the shallower travel and clackiness.

. You can probably find a cheaper laptop with more grunt, but you'd be hard pressed finding a Windows one with the same care and attention to detail as the Surface . It is greater than the sum of its parts. Let's just hope it ages well.