Regarding Linux... the Surface Book (and Pro) are rather unique devices, as far as hardware is concerned. You loose a lot of core functionality if you run anything except Windows on them. I've tried.
If you want a strictly Windows-only device, they're not bad. (Buggy drivers aside.) The N-trig stylus technology is absolutely amazing if you do graphic design. But if you want to dual boot into Linux, you'll be happier with a more traditional laptop.
To be honest, I tried both a Surface Pro 3 and a Surface Book as my primary laptop. In the end, I keep going back to my 2012 MacBook Air. At least for me, Apple still has an edge in overall experience.
If you do graphic design, you may not want N-trig styluses. The biggest drawback of their system is that it requires a certain, higher amount of pressure to register a stroke—higher than the Wacom or Apple Stylus counterparts.
Tried that this week in a shop after the week Apple announcement. I think although it's very cool as a laptop it didn't beat the old Macbooks for me: Downsides were the thick & heavy screen which made it a little bit unbalanced and also shaky while typing on it. Besides that a touchpad which felt worse than what Apple has (although better than what most other Windows laptops have) and a cheaper looking finish (surface/painting looked more plastic like than the aluminum surface of the macbook). As an upside it had a really great keyboard, which might not be the case for the 2016 Apple models.
the surface book is getting there but it still crashes occasionally when disconnecting the screen. not build quality per se but definitely not apple-like
I’ve had a Surface Book for five months or so and used it heavily, detatching it quite commonly; I’ve had it BSOD from detaching the screen once, 22 days ago. But I’m in the Insider Preview so I’m using pre-release software, so my experience is not necessarily representative. (It could plausibly crash more or less commonly.)
But on the build quality thing: I got a Surface Book because, as David said concerning the sword of Goliath, there is none like it. It’s not just build quality (which is really solid), it’s also the touchscreen and pen input and detachability.
If you want a strictly Windows-only device, they're not bad. (Buggy drivers aside.) The N-trig stylus technology is absolutely amazing if you do graphic design. But if you want to dual boot into Linux, you'll be happier with a more traditional laptop.
To be honest, I tried both a Surface Pro 3 and a Surface Book as my primary laptop. In the end, I keep going back to my 2012 MacBook Air. At least for me, Apple still has an edge in overall experience.