Surface Book 3 is now officially available in South Africa and will retail at R37,999 for the least configuration. The highest configuration of 32GB RAM and 512GB SSD storage retails at R52,999. Consumers will be able to buy the device from Microsoft Surface authorized partner Incredible Connection stores.
The device comes in 13 and 15-inch display sizes with up to 512GB storage. It is powered by a 10th generation Intel quad-core processor and dedicated NVIDIA GeForce graphics. What Microsoft did with the device is to maintain the outlook of the Surface Book 2 but upgrade every internal aspect with the latest tech.
Watch the video below and check out the design and make of the Surface Book 3.
Microsoft announced the Book 3 in May 2020 and they went on sale in other markets in June. They also became available in the United Arab Emirates market in September 2020. So for the South African market, they are arriving almost a year later.
Interestingly, the devices are currently out of stock on the Incredible Connection online store with no details on when to expect new stock.
[jetpack_subscription_form show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Hi, sign up so you can get the latest in breaking news, reviews, opinions, events, opportunities and community updates right in your inbox.” custom_font_size=”16″ custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Amazon, Software engineer and Teaching have emerged as the top trending employer, job and skill respectively in South Africa.
This is according to data from Microsoft’s LinkedIn Economic Graph. Which Microsoft believes can help policymakers make informed decisions and chart new paths to economic opportunity.
Multinational technology company Amazon, Webhelp, OUTsurance, Old Mutual and the University of Cape Town make the top five in the top trending employer’s category.
In the top trending jobs category, software engineer, project manager, attorney, financial advisor and sales executive make the top five.
The top trending skills across all industries in South Africa were teaching, financial accounting, financial reporting, project planning and sales management.
Microsoft uses global data of about seven hundred and twenty-two million LinkedIn members, fifty-five million companies and twenty-four million jobs to track workforce trends.
However, the data from the Microsoft LinkedIn economic graph doesn’t mention the specific number from which the South Africa insights were drawn.
The insights are taken from LinkedIn users in Cape Town and Johannesburg and from about ten industries. Such as legal, public administration, education, corporate services, real estate, finance and software and IT services.
[jetpack_subscription_form subscribe_placeholder=”Enter your email address” show_subscribers_total=”false” button_on_newline=”false” submit_button_text=”Hi, sign up so you can get the latest in breaking news, reviews, opinions, events, opportunities and community updates right in your inbox.” custom_font_size=”16px” custom_border_radius=”0″ custom_border_weight=”1″ custom_padding=”15″ custom_spacing=”10″ submit_button_classes=”” email_field_classes=”” show_only_email_and_button=”true”]
Three teams have emerged winners of the Microsoft South Africa safe@home hackathon. Winning a prize pool of eight thousand US Dollars.
Six teams made it to the final qualifying round of the hackathon competition. With three teams Combat against GBV, iWitness and Report Matters going on to win it. Coming in first, second and third places and winning $5000, $2000 and $1000 respectively.
Microsoft sponsored the Safe@home hackathon to discover technology-based solutions that can address gender-based violence. An issue that saw a dramatic rise during the mandatory quarantine period of covid-19 in South Africa.
Winning Team, Combat against GBV presented an educational and interactive solution made to educate women and children on GBV. Using services such as a Twitter bot, USSD, WhatsApp chatbot and Facebook messenger. The solution also informs people on how to take action, find and ask for help. Members of Team Combat against GBV include; Naomi Bisimwa, Christine Bisimwa, Carol Khose and Mosa Nkomo.
The winning solution will be developed into a full application to be owned and used by the campaign’s NGO partners 1000 Women and TEARS Foundation.
We have seen a wealth of creative and sustainable ideas from our developer teams who have grappled with the unique issues and challenges surrounding gender-based violence in South Africa, says Lillian Barnard, Managing Director of Microsoft South Africa. The winning solution would effectively be able to help South Africa’s most vulnerable and at-risk.
Watch the six finalist teams present their ideas at the finals.
Microsoft Surface Go 2 is now available to businesses and consumers in the South African market. The device will retail at R8,999 and sold by Incredible Connection stores and Vodacom.
The device comes with a larger 10.5-inch display, improved battery life and a model with up to 64% faster performance.
Click to read about the technical specifications of the Surface Go 2 announced in May this year.
We’re excited to expand our Surface family with the addition of Surface Go 2 – our smallest and lightest two-in-one laptop says, Vithesh Reddy, Consumer and Channel Marketing Director at Microsoft South Africa. Its compact design and the versatility of a touchscreen and keyboard will appeal to businesses, schools, students and families, he continues.
He also adds that “Sharing Surface Go 2 with your family is seamless and secure. With parent-managed screen time limits, spending control and content filtering. Plus plenty of space for your photos, videos and music,” says Reddy.
The Surface Go 2 will start selling from the 22nd of October in South Africa.
Microsoft South Africa, together with leading gender-based violence NPO partners, 1000 Women Trust and TEARS Foundation, launch Safe@Home Hackathon to address gender-based violence in South Africa.
The virtual hackathon event will run from 22 September to 19 October. It invites the South African developer community to create and develop technology-based solutions that will help victims of gender-based violence, vulnerable women and children.
Access to the right technology can enable a better and safer way for women and children to reach out for help.
“Gender-based violence is one of the most pressing and critical challenges South Africa faces: President Cyril Ramaphosa identified it as the second pandemic our country is currently battling and a war that is being waged against our women and children, with over 40% of South African women experiencing sexual and/or physical interpersonal violence in their lifetime,” says Lillian Barnard, Managing Director of Microsoft South Africa.
A study by the World Health Organisation, for example, found that 42 percent of females between 13 and 23 in the country reported experiencing physical dating violence. The incidence of unreported violence is much higher – and getting worse.
“Violence against women and children is escalating under the current circumstances, with many South Africans confined to their homes. This indicates a clear need to take action to address gender-based violence in South Africa,” says Tina Thiart, founder of 1000 Women.
Microsoft South Africa is pledging its support to helping address gender-based violence through the Safe@Home Hackathon. Hackathons are aimed at finding solutions to specific challenges through collaborative brainstorming and programming in a short space of time.
The Safe@Home Hackathon will look to facilitate collaboration to create and develop technology-based solutions that will work in the context of South Africa’s unique circumstances and challenges.
“Our goal is to find real, sustainable solutions to help South Africa’s most vulnerable and at-risk. Ensuring that we are able to build these kinds of fit-for-purpose technology-based solutions will require partnerships with developers, NGOs in the gender-based violence space like TEARS Foundation and 1000 Women, government, corporate South Africa and other technology players,” says Barnard.
“Together, we will provide the support needed as we call on developers across the country to come together, understand the issues surrounding gender-based violence, and create and develop technology-based solutions that can help save lives.”
Safe@Home in South Africa is replicating the successful initiative piloted by Microsoft Israel in partnership with the “Michal Sela Forum” – headed by the sister of a victim of gender-based violence – and the country’s developer community to create and develop technology-based solutions to help victims of gender-based violence. The hackathon resulted in the development of a number of applications that will be deployed in Israel to help other women and children who need it.
Likewise, South Africa’s hackathon aims help the country’s most vulnerable. The intention is that winning idea will be developed into a full application that will be deployed to support women across South Africa who need help, and make a difference in curbing gender-based violence in South Africa. The top three teams also stand to win cash prizes. The winners will be announced on 26 October.
“I look forward to exploring the possibilities that technology can provide to help keep women and children ‘safe@home’, and working together to tackle the scourge of gender-based violence in South Africa. The time for collective action is now,” says Mara Glennie, founder and director at TEARS Foundation.
South African developers wanting to be part of positive change to help vulnerable women and children can enter to join the hackathon here: https://safeathome.bemyapp.com/
