Bak USA's Atlas 12 notebook is now available in Microsoft retail stores

Bak USA, which makes PC products in Buffalo, New York, has announced that its Windows 10-powered Atlas 12 2-in-1 notebook is now on sale at Microsoft's retail stores for $399.

The company first announced a partnership with Microsoft earlier this year to assemble a Windows 10 device at its Buffalo offices, and now the fruit of that labor is ready for its public debut. Bak USA's press release states that the notebook's primary market is for education customers in K-12 schools:

"Our vision is to make high-quality technologies accessible to everyone, especially students," said Bak USA Chief Technology Officer & Co-Founder Christian Bak. "Today we're another step closer to making that dream a reality. As we continue to work with Microsoft, we increase our capacity to build high-quality technologies, celebrate American standards of manufacturing, and make a meaningful impact on education."

As far as specs are concerned, the Atlas 12 has an 11.6-inch touchscreen display, with a hinge that allows the screen to flip over and become a tablet. It has an Intel Intel Celeron N3010 processor, 4GB of RAM, and options for either 128GB or 256GB SSD storage. The 2-in-1 has also been made to withstand the amount of stress from students using it in a classroom:

With shock-resistant foam insulation, two interior layers of double-injected hard plastic protection, and a round rubber bumper, the Atlas 12 is tough enough for any classroom.

The Atlas 12 also comes with a rotating 180-degree camera, along with a stylus, a detachable microscope, and a built-in handle.

John Callaham
12 Comments
  • This actually looks like a decent system for learning, and the price seems good.  Just a little more than a netbook, with the same CPU, but more RAM and storage. I'm curious about that stylus and microscope.
  • I am also wondering about that stylus. It looks tethered to the device, but not in any electronically connected way. Which pen standard is it compatible with?
  • Detachable microscope? What?
  • Nice laptop and all, but ehhh...
    Why is the Surface app installed on this computer? (I mean, does the app really have a function on this laptop or is this a case of a bad Photoshop?)
  • What does the Surface app do?
  • With the Surface app you can change Surface related settings, for example turning on/off the touch Windows button on the Pro 3. I have a Pro 3 myself and this got preinstalled.
  • So why would it not function on this notebook?
  • Because this isn't a Surface? The app was made for the Surface, not for some other random notebook. If you don't believe me, I've installed the Surface app on my old laptop. When I opened it, it kindly told me: 'The Surface app is designed for and only works with your Surface.'
    This picture here is probably a bad Photoshop where someone took a screenshot on his/her Surface and pasted the picture on this device.
  • Bad photoshop and (even with a new MSFT CEO) bad attention to detail!
  • John Callaham could you clear up some things? Where is the built in handle? It doesn't show in any pics. What are the specs of the microscope and where does it attach? Is the pen just normal capacitive touch or is it active somehow?
  • This morning a local New York news station posted a much more detailed article about Bak USA and its collaboration with Microsoft here: http://www.wgrz.com/news/local/innovate-wny/innovate-wny-bak-usa-laptop-to-be-sold-across-us/317845645 .  It includes video of the new laptop. 
  • Well - That was a wasted trip - The Microsoft Store in Bethesda did not have one and they actually never heard of it.  They even called support and it was not in the system - nary a mention.  Is it just in select stores?