Microsoft goes William Morris: the Surface Pro 9 Liberty Special Edition is now available
The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Liberty Special Edition is a hybrid tablet and laptop embellished with a bespoke design from London’s famed design house Liberty
![Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Liberty Special Edition shown open and closed, with Liberty print finish](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/YdrhxCJXFjnb8DVH9JgET8-415-80.jpg)
Microsoft isn’t known for its collaborations, just as London department store Liberty isn’t known for its technological nous. This new collaboration combines the power-packed Surface Pro 9 with Liberty’s rich history of textile design to create a laptop that’s destined to stand out from the pack.
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Liberty Special Edition
The Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Liberty Special Edition was created to celebrate ten years of the Microsoft Surface line, the unexpectedly excellent family of transformable tablets and laptops that has put Microsoft back in the top tier of hardware manufacturers.
The collaboration was unexpected and fortuitous, after Liberty’s lead designer, Adam Herbert, met Microsoft’s principal designer, Elliott Hsu, and decided to form an alliance.
The end result is inspired in part by the graphic language of Windows 11, with its animated ‘floral bloom’ desktop wallpaper.
The result is a laptop with an engraved floral design on its keyboard and case, a special-edition Microsoft Surface x Liberty print that blends the Microsoft bloom with Liberty’s 150 years’ experience of working with artists and designers on fabrics and textiles.
‘We started to do very loose line drawings of the Bloom, and really started to think about a virtually created flower but translated it into a Liberty print,’ says Herbert, ‘We took something that was created in a very modern, cutting-edge way, but then [redrew] it into something that is Liberty. And I think that was a really exciting juxtaposition.’
Microsoft Surface Family, 2022
There’s also a desktop theme that references the collaboration, and this special edition of the Surface Pro 9 comes complete with the optional keyboard and Slim Pen 2. The hybrid device is powered by Intel’s new Evo 12th Gen processor and offers over 15 hours of battery life.
Wallpaper* Newsletter + Free Download
For a free digital copy of August Wallpaper*, celebrating Creative America, sign up today to receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories
Microsoft Surface Pro 9 Liberty Special Edition, complete with Surface Pro Liberty Keyboard and Slim Pen 2, from £1,099.99, available from Microsoft store and Liberty
store.microsoft.com, libertylondon.com
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
-
‘Hedonistic and avant-garde’: Rabanne’s Julian Dossena on the legacy of the chainmail 1969 bag
Paco Rabanne’s 1969 chainmail handbag encapsulates the late designer’s futuristic, space-age style. Current creative director Julien Dossena tells Wallpaper* about the bag’s particular pleasures
By Jack Moss Published
-
Postcard from Paris: Olympic fever takes over the streets
On the eve of the opening ceremony of Paris 2024, our correspondent shares her views from the streets of the capital about how the event is impacting the urban landscape.
By Minako Norimatsu Published
-
The Mercury Prize nominees for 2024 have been revealed
Charli XCX, The Last Dinner Party and Beth Gibbons are amongst this year's nominees
By Charlotte Gunn Published
-
The new HMD Skyline is a repairable smartphone that won’t rule your life
Human Mobile Devices has pulled out all the stops to ensure its flagship HMD Skyline can not only be easily repaired, but helps divert you from doom-scrolling
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Analogue Pocket Aluminum Editions: the cult video gaming console shows its new metal
The strictly limited-edition Analogue Pocket Aluminum Editions bring high-quality materials to Analogue’s elegant combination of hardware and software design
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Moog’s mood-altering Labyrinth and five more new synthesizers and sound tools
Explore soundscapes and ambient realms with these new synthesizers and other desktop composition tools for shaping all forms of audio
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Radio alarm clocks round-up: wake up to these clever bedside companions
Our selection of the best new radio alarm clocks, from smart speakers to compact DAB boxes and more
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
CMF by Nothing launches its first phone, and an update of its talented smartwatch
The new CMF Phone 1 is joined by next-generation versions of its CMF Buds Pro 2 and the excellent CMF Watch Pro 2
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
The latest portable tech for boosting productivity out on the road
Nine new gadgets for agile workers to get out and about with, from pocket projectors to slimline keyboards, charge blocks and more
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
New Light Phone III is all retro-simplicity to soothe your over-laden mind
The Light Phone III – a smart device for those disaffected by data collection and endless diversions – is designed to let you get back to real life
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Honor Magic6 RSR is a bold new entrant into the premium smartphone market
After a couple of weeks with the Porsche Design Honor Magic6 RSR in hand, we report back on the ins and outs of this new high-end device
By Jonathan Bell Published