Microsoft introduces Surface Pro 3: the tablet that can replace your laptop

[filfat]

Yester day(20th may) Microsoft introduced the world to their latest tablet installment,
the Surface Pro 3 with a all new 12 inch 2160 x 1440 display.

Here are the specs(for the top tier),

OS: Windows 8.1 Pro.
SDD: 512GB.
CPU: 4gt gen Intel Core i7.
RAM: 8GB.
Battery: up to 9h.
Ports: 1x USB 3.0, 1x MicroSD, 1x Minidisplay port.

For full list see Microsoft.com/surface

Here is what MSFT has to say:

...

NEW YORK — May 20, 2014 — On Tuesday, Microsoft Corp. introduced Surface Pro 3 — the lightweight tablet that packs the power and performance you expect from a laptop.​

Surface Pro 3 is a tablet and a laptop: multiple processor, RAM and storage options intersect with a sleek design that, with a simple snap or click, transform the device from a perfectly balanced tablet to a full-functioning laptop and back again — all in a beautiful package that is 30 percent thinner than an 11-inch MacBook Air. Its stunning 12-inch display and new, continuous kickstand provide the screen real estate and multiple viewing angles people need for work and play. And the new Surface Pen — completely redesigned with form and function in mind — delivers a precise, luxurious drawing and note-taking experience with a single click of the pen.​

“So many people carry both a laptop and a tablet but really want just one device that serves all purposes,” said Panos Panay, corporate vice president, Microsoft Surface. “Surface Pro 3 is the tablet that can replace your laptop — packing all the performance of a fully powered laptop into a thin, light and beautifully designed device. You’ll love being able to carry a single device for your next class, workday or weekend getaway knowing you have all the power you need.”​

...

Personally I will most certainly buy this, will? You?


Microsoft.com

 

[FireGrey]

With windows 9 around the corner I'll wait until the surface 4 or 5

 

[DinohScene]

3 months into the future, MS announces Surface 5, releases Surface 4.

Yeh no.

 

[Qtis]

Add the source to the OP

The surface is quite good in terms of usage. It could easily replace the traditional PC for most people in terms of browsing, email etc. Not for gaming, but portability is get.

 

[ilman]

I'll get a Surface someday, but for the meantime my Note 10.1 2014 is fill my needs for a pen-enabled tablet.

 

[p3rand0r]

knowing Microsoft it will cost something like 2000$

 

[BORTZ]

No i never will.

 

[filfat]

Added the source.

Btw, its kinda sad they will add back the terrible start menu, I guess its nice to have as a option but meh, Modern UI is better.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

Retail price: $799.

No thank you.

I can just buy a laptop that does more for less than that.

I've been thinking of switching to a tablet and a tower for my computing needs (I really just need the laptop to do notes in school and burn up some free time between classes) but paying $799 for a tablet plus a whole new tower is a bit steep.

 

[VashTS]

Retail price: $799.

No thank you.

I can just buy a laptop that does more for less than that.

I've been thinking of switching to a tablet and a tower for my computing needs (I really just need the laptop to do notes in school and burn up some free time between classes) but paying $799 for a tablet plus a whole new tower is a bit steep.

I agree. I got a low-mid end lenovo laptop dual core amd cpu/gpu combo, 500gb hdd, 4gb ram, 720p webcam, 15.4 display for $250 not too long ago. it works just fine for the basic needs and its fully featured (including the almost dead technology - the optical drive).

I prefer a cheap laptop to an expensive tablet any day.

 

[Gahars]

$799?

Welp, that certainly won't help the Surface tension.

 

[KingVamp]

None/I'm not/NA

Added the source.

Btw, its nice that they added back the start menu beside that terrible Modern UI, I guess its nice to have as a option but meh, start menu is better.

Fix'd

 

[Joe88]

Did they finally kill off the poop called surface rt?
good radiance, you would think they would have gotten the message the first time around when they lost about 1 billion $ in unsold rt's

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

>$800



This is why I never bought any of the other Surface "tablet" things, they're terribly priced. I'd rather just buy a $500 laptop and stick with that instead. My boss had a Surface Pro, bought it for like $600, used it for a few months, then tried to sell it off and the best he could do was like $400.

 

[Taleweaver]

Weren't those previous surfaces also meant to replace laptops?

 

[BORTZ]

Retail price: $799.
I can just buy a laptop that does more for less than that.

My thoughts, exactly, posted in their perfect form.

 

[gamefan5]

I got the surface pro 1st gen but it was certainly not my intention to get it at first.
First of all, I am an artist. I love to draw. And I always wanted to draw digitally with Photoshop and other art apps.
The surface pro (1st gen) was discontinued because it didn't meet the sales expectations. So Microsoft slashed the price by 50% or so.
I got my surface pro for 500$. 128GB i5 core with 4GB RAM. Doesn't seem much because u can definitely get more on a laptop, but hey, it was on sale so why not? My experience were pretty great with it. Kinda fast, able to do simple tasks easily. I absolutely adore the portability factor, which isn't present on many laptops. The main caveat is the battery though, but it's possible to pull a 7 hr battery life with it with a certain trick. It also heats up for a certain time, but I'm not bothered much by it. Drawing wise, it's pretty great as well. 1024 lvls of pressure sensitivity is great! And all art apps perform well, so if your on a budget, you could get this instead of the Cintiq. Ofc, nothing beats that for drawing if u had to compare, except for portability,

Can it replace a laptop? For daily needs and more, I think it does a fantastic job. Gaming wise... eeeehhhh I didn't test it but I wouldn't expect much anyway. I rarely game on PC. I'm more of a handheld and console guy XD.
Would I recommend it to anyone? Honestly, it depends. I feel like artists, those who make music, might see more it's worth. Because honestly, personally, if it wasn't the fact that I love tablets and the fact that I love drawing, I probably wouldn't get it.

Also, note that with the purchase of any surface pro, u also must include another purchase... a keyboard.
So expect another 100$ to spend.

So far,I'm not regretting my purchase.

Now to answer this thread, the surface pro 3 looks great and the form factor is definitely better than the 1st and 2nd surface pro.
But something alarms me,
- The pen uses a battery whereas the 1st 2 gens it did not, because it is bluetooth enabled, powered by Ntrig technology.
- It supports 256 lvls of pressure sensitivity vs 1024 lvls of pressure sensitivity from Wacom digitizer tech.

I can see Microsoft stopping Wacom support because it's tech is expensive but still... a huge downgrade that makes it hard to recommend for those who wants to use it for drawing.

Damn, I made a lenghty post. XD
Typed using a surface pro atm.

 

[FAST6191]

$800 then. Having a quick snout around Amazon that appears to actually be pretty devastating to its competition.

As with the others though I might as well buy a laptop. It does not appear as though I could get a toughpad for $800 but if I am spending real money on a tablet then you can bet I am going for that.

 

[Tomobobo]

The reason I don't own a laptop is the same reason I will never own any of these surface tablets as they are now: the fan.

As long as the thing gets too hot for passive cooling it will be 1000x inferior to these fanless ARM based devices.

The tegra 4 can handle the source engine, no fan. Striders slamming your hommies in the face. No fan.

Jam some M$ paint on this thing and god help your legs.

Why would you pay for this red ring of death destiny?

 

[Tom Bombadildo]

The reason I don't own a laptop is the same reason I will never own any of these surface tablets as they are now: the fan.

As long as the thing gets too hot for passive cooling it will be 1000x inferior to these fanless ARM based devices.

The tegra 4 can handle the source engine, no fan. Striders slamming your hommies in the face. No fan.

Jam some M$ paint on this thing and god help your legs.

Why would you pay for this red ring of death destiny?

The NVIDIA Shield that has the Source engine games? It has a fan, and it runs full speed when I played Half Life 2 and Portal. It also runs when playing most other games, albeit at varying speeds, but it still runs.