Microsoft Surface Dial News & Update: Do You Really Need It?

Microsoft just unveiled the Microsoft Surface Studio, along with its accessory: the Microsoft Surface Dial. The peripheral is not free, however, as you will shell out an extra hundred bucks on top of the already costly $2,999 for the new desktop.

The company described Microsoft Surface Dial as a "completely new way to interact with technology and create in the most natural, immersive way. Store, customize, access, navigate, and reimagine physical tools in the digital world - from concept to creation."

But do you really need it?

By all indication, the Microsoft Surface Dial was conceptualized with creative artists and graphic designers as the target market. It's supposed to cut down the amount of work, without compromising output. Connected to the PC through Bluetooth, you can just select, click and rotate through a menu of shortcuts and tasks. You can also customize the options by adding the most used tools into the accessory.

The Verge calls it as a hockey puck that can serve as your very own palette. When the dial touches the screen, it triggers a color wheel and you can just pick and choose for accurate representation of what your design output would look like.

But it also serves as access to the host of menu options that you are not immediately available. And the code is being open to third-party developers so the potential of the Microsoft Surface Dial is limitless.

Indeed, the Surface Dial is a worthy investment if you own other Microsoft devices. As it turns out, it will also work on the Surface Book, Surface Pro 3 and Surface Pro 4.