Surface Pro 3 announcement and prices

[sracer]

I think it's more accurate to say the windows ecosystem isn't optimal for you because it doesn't have the app you need, not that the SP is a suboptimal tablet.

You are arbitrarily separating the software from the hardware. The two are linked together. Hardware without the software is simply something to put on display and ogle at. There are people who do that... take out sleek tablets and fawn over how thin and light they are. In that respect, the Surface Pro 3 is tops.

Again, if the meager offerings in the Windows app store are satisfying to someone, then they can save a lot of money by purchasing a less expensive tablet that does the same thing.

Touch MS Office is coming soon.

You have an odd definition of "soon". Thinking about a 2015 timeframe in the first week of June 2014 can hardly be considered "soon" by most people's definition of the word. (the article I linked mentions Spring 2015, nearly a year away)

Edit to add:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2359363/touchable-office-suite-headed-to-android-before-windows-8-report-says.html

 

[maflynn]

Regarding what I bolded, I don't think it is clear that a Surface Pro 3 would be easier to use on a plane than a 15" MBP. I'd say that one would have a better chance of being usable with an SP3, but it isn't a given. It depends upon the configuration of the plane and whether you're sitting in coach or 1st class, but there isn't enough room on the tray to accommodate the keyboard and the extended kickstand... if the person in front of you is reclined... show over.

There are no guarantees, but The times I've flown its a bit harder to user the 15 and a smaller product is better. This was one major reason why I opted for a 13" MBP back before I bought the rMBP.

I never fly 1st class, its always coach and I think the tablet is maybe a bit easier to deal with the tight spaces

 

[spinedoc77]

You are arbitrarily separating the software from the hardware. The two are linked together. Hardware without the software is simply something to put on display and ogle at. There are people who do that... take out sleek tablets and fawn over how thin and light they are. In that respect, the Surface Pro 3 is tops.

Again, if the meager offerings in the Windows app store are satisfying to someone, then they can save a lot of money by purchasing a less expensive tablet that does the same thing.


You have an odd definition of "soon". Thinking about a 2015 timeframe in the first week of June 2014 can hardly be considered "soon" by most people's definition of the word. (the article I linked mentions Spring 2015, nearly a year away)

Edit to add:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2359363/touchable-office-suite-headed-to-android-before-windows-8-report-says.html

I disagree, I don't think you can say a tablet is suboptimal because of the apps. I can't run legacy programs on an ipad, that means it's suboptimal as a tablet because that's how I use it. Doesn't really make sense, other than saying the Apple ecosystem doesn't support my uses. I hear what you are saying though and it's just a question of semantics, if the windows ecosystem doesn't fulfill your needs then no reason you should spend money on it. As for money, you cannot compare a $100 android tablet to the SP3. Look at the hardware, build quality, OS, features, resolution, etc etc, are we really having this discussion?

Coming soon: Yeah that's a bit of a wait. If touch Office is important to you I can understand totally. Desktop office is quite usable though, they have made the ribbon interface larger and the entire Office suite scales VERY nicely with a touch tablet, it's really quite usable IMO, I use it every day with no complaints and in some ways am actually kind of fearful for a touch version and hope it's not watered down like most of iOS apps.

 

[Cnasty]

Just got back from the Microsoft store in Orlando (always busy but not as busy as the AppleStore downstairs).

This thing is amazing and needs to be played with in person.
I will preface my impressions by saying I have had all ipads and always a big fan but this thing had me asking when I can trade mine to them and get the student discount to buy one.

-Super light. Like really like and was shocked when I picked it up
-Screen is super vibrant and amazing to look at
-It was fast. Apps and programs opened up in lightning speed
-Never messed with Windows 8 but actually looked great on this device
-Was not a fan of the keyboard at all. Spongy keys, track pad was meh
-Pen was very cool and responsive but awkward attaching it to the side
-the kickstand felt very sturdy and loved the multiple options

Overall, I am beyond impressed.

-My concerns solely for me. Price which is pretty high but comparable to a new laptop but for me I dont use a laptop but would benefit more productively with work than my iPad
-A Windows machine which I am afraid of slow down and delay like all other windows experiences for me (hence why i moved to a mac desktop, ipad,etc)
-Waiting for possibly the holidays as these Microsoft items dont seem to hold their value and see an inevitable quick price drop depending on sales

If my wife wasnt with me, I would be typing this on there right now.

 

[spinedoc77]

Just got back from the Microsoft store in Orlando (always busy but not as busy as the AppleStore downstairs).

This thing is amazing and needs to be played with in person.
I will preface my impressions by saying I have had all ipads and always a big fan but this thing had me asking when I can trade mine to them and get the student discount to buy one.

-Super light. Like really like and was shocked when I picked it up
-Screen is super vibrant and amazing to look at
-It was fast. Apps and programs opened up in lightning speed
-Never messed with Windows 8 but actually looked great on this device
-Was not a fan of the keyboard at all. Spongy keys, track pad was meh
-Pen was very cool and responsive but awkward attaching it to the side
-the kickstand felt very sturdy and loved the multiple options

Overall, I am beyond impressed.

-My concerns solely for me. Price which is pretty high but comparable to a new laptop but for me I dont use a laptop but would benefit more productively with work than my iPad
-A Windows machine which I am afraid of slow down and delay like all other windows experiences for me (hence why i moved to a mac desktop, ipad,etc)
-Waiting for possibly the holidays as these Microsoft items dont seem to hold their value and see an inevitable quick price drop depending on sales

If my wife wasnt with me, I would be typing this on there right now.

I'm curious why people say it's expensive? It's only $100 more than a 64gb ipad. To have this kind of functionality in a device not even meant to be compared to the ipad, yet have it almost the same price is phenomenal to me.

 

[Cnasty]

That is why I prefaced "solely for me".

$900 or more for type pad and the i5 model which I would get is a hunk of cash when I say to my self do I reeeeeeeeeally need it?

Not comparing the price to an ipad, laptop or anything else but when I spend almost a grand that is expensive and a factor in my decision.

 

[sracer]

I disagree, I don't think you can say a tablet is suboptimal because of the apps. I can't run legacy programs on an ipad, that means it's suboptimal as a tablet because that's how I use it. Doesn't really make sense, other than saying the Apple ecosystem doesn't support my uses. I hear what you are saying though and it's just a question of semantics, if the windows ecosystem doesn't fulfill your needs then no reason you should spend money on it. As for money, you cannot compare a $100 android tablet to the SP3. Look at the hardware, build quality, OS, features, resolution, etc etc, are we really having this discussion?

Legacy apps on the ipad? You appear to be moving the goal posts. The primary use case for a tablet is touch. My contention has been that the Surface makes a sub-par tablet because of the lack of touch-optimized apps (ie. Modern UI apps)

It's not a matter of semantics. The primary user interface for a tablet is the touchscreen.

Coming soon: Yeah that's a bit of a wait. If touch Office is important to you I can understand totally. Desktop office is quite usable though, they have made the ribbon interface larger and the entire Office suite scales VERY nicely with a touch tablet, it's really quite usable IMO, I use it every day with no complaints and in some ways am actually kind of fearful for a touch version and hope it's not watered down like most of iOS apps.

You claimed that "Touch MS Office is coming soon" as a rebuttal to my point that touch MS Office is not available. Your response was not correct.

In the end, you are free to believe that the Surface makes a fine tablet on par with what is available for Android and iOS, but don't be surprised when the majority of consumers reject that belief.

There are no guarantees, but The times I've flown its a bit harder to user the 15 and a smaller product is better. This was one major reason why I opted for a 13" MBP back before I bought the rMBP.

I never fly 1st class, its always coach and I think the tablet is maybe a bit easier to deal with the tight spaces

I always fly coach too. I agree a tablet should be easier to deal with tight spaces. No disagreement when talking about a tablet alone. But the kickstand of the Surface devices requires space that is needed with a traditional notebook.

I'd be curious as to the distances on your rBMP from the front edge of the keyboard to the vertical line from the top edge of the screen.
rMBP

      /
     /
____/
<----->|

SP3

      /
     /\
____/  \
<------>|

 

[Cnasty]

Is the i3 model not a smart purchase?

I have heard most say they will go i5.

I will use it for:

-work email, VPN, office functions
-basic web browsing
-a ton of youtube

Nothing hardcore so it makes me think I will be fine with the lower version but really dont know much about these things.

 

[sracer]

Is the i3 model not a smart purchase?

I have heard most say they will go i5.

I will use it for:

-work email, VPN, office functions
-basic web browsing
-a ton of youtube

Nothing hardcore so it makes me think I will be fine with the lower version but really dont know much about these things.

You'll be fine with the i3. If you want to be sure and it is within your budget than move up to the i5 for that peace of mind.

 

[Cnasty]

The age old tech decision.

Future proofing for a couple hundred more or saving the cash and being fine.

 

[balamw]

I did manage to play with one for about 20 min at my local store.

I focused entirely on my use case. No keyboard.

The screen is beautiful. Well done Microsoft.

The pen remains awesome. With the digitizer it is far better than my dell with a cheap stylus.

It's heavy in slate mode after while!

The salesperson who helped me was really nice and spent the whole time with me and went to go ask a couple of questions of other staff.

As usual the store had fewer customers than employees. The Apple store was busier, but mostly at the Genius Bar.

Posted from my DVP8.

B

 

[B...]

I also visited the SP3 today. I love it as a whole, but the screen often was slightly behind the pen. Also, are the demo models running a modified OS, because clicking the pen when the Surface was in sleep turned it on but didn't launch OneNote, and I couldn't get it to sleep by clicking the sleep button on the Surface.

 

[maflynn]

It's heavy in slate mode after while!

When I was looking at myself Friday they had two models out, the tablet style and some with keyboards. I had the opportunity to play with both.

I agree for laptop its a light computer, for a tablet, not so much - arm fatigue can set in depending your usage.

I found the virtual keyboard to be adequate but I used it to little, I don't think I fully judged it, i.e., with arm fatigue setting in, how will typing on it w/o the type cover. I don't expect to be doing this too often but it is something that will happen on occasion.

----------

LI'd be curious as to the distances on your rBMP from the front edge of the keyboard to the vertical line from the top edge of the screen.
rMBP

      /
     /
____/
<----->|

SP3

      /
     /\
____/  \
<------>|

I'll measure it later today and let you know

 

[taelan28]

The surface Pro 3 is sexy as hell. All of you saying its over priced need to be smacked. Even the Surface Pro 2 was good and had it released in Korea on time I wouldnt be on here with my RMBP--which Im very pleased it. Its expensive but its competitively priced for what it is. Its tops in terms of design and tech. I have a Surface 2 which I bought on impulse and though I didnt use it much at first the thing grew on me quick and I'd grab it before my RMBP which, though thin and sexy itself, felt like a goddamn brick compared to a surface 2.

Arent all these devices being released great? Stuff isnt like it was 15 years ago or even 5 years ago.

 

[balamw]

I found the virtual keyboard to be adequate but I used it to little, I don't think I fully judged it, i.e., with arm fatigue setting in, how will typing on it w/o the type cover.

Yeah, the DVP8 is my test vehicle for the virtual keyboard since that's critical for my use case.

The type cover is meh for me, I'd prefer my 11" MBA's keyboard and touchpad.

This does however raise a question I didn't address at the store. I often use my iPad with Smart Cover in a mode where I give it a shallow angle with the table in landscape mode. Is that even possible with the kickstand?

B

 

[B...]

Yeah, the DVP8 is my test vehicle for the virtual keyboard since that's critical for my use case.

The type cover is meh for me, I'd prefer my 11" MBA's keyboard and touchpad.

This does however raise a question I didn't address at the store. I often use my iPad with Smart Cover in a mode where I give it a shallow angle with the table in landscape mode. Is that even possible with the kickstand?

B

The kickstand goes back to 150 degrees.

 

[balamw]

The kickstand goes back to 150 degrees.

30 degrees sounds too steep, but I'll have to try it.

Thanks!

B

 

[Cnasty]

Are there after market keyboards that will work besides the type cover that Microsoft has?

I wasn't a fan of the keyboard and the spongy keys with the amount of typing I do.

 

[AT101ET]

So, apparently Microsoft will be announcing the next generation of their surface pro tablets this Tuesday as well as their new surface mini. The prices have also been revealed for the surface pro 3 models
i3-4GB RAM-64GB - $799
i5-4GB RAM-128GB - $999
i5-8GB RAM-256GB - $1299
i7-8GB RAM-256GB - $1549
i7-8GB RAM-512GB - $1949

http://www.wpcentral.com/comment/918175

My thoughts on this are these are highly overpriced. $799 just for an I3 and 4gigs of ram to go alongside 64g of storage? I can find quality i5 and 17 with 8gigs of ram laptops on Amazon in the 600-800 dollar range. What your guys opinion on the matter.

Can't justify those prices over the specs. Besides, i prefer a laptop over a tablet so it wind do it for me

 

[sracer]

Are there after market keyboards that will work besides the type cover that Microsoft has?

I wasn't a fan of the keyboard and the spongy keys with the amount of typing I do.

Did you mean aftermarket keyboard covers? (or just keyboards)

For "just keyboards", any bluetooth keyboard should work... including Apple's bluetooth keyboard.

If I were to get an SP3, I'd use my Apple bluetooth keyboard w/Incase Origami keyboard case.

 

[Cnasty]

I meant keyboard covers, sorry.

 

[Vegastouch]

I meant keyboard covers, sorry.

There are all kinds of them on eBay for the surface 2 so i assume you can get them eventually. Most come with leather cases too for far less than Microsoft wants for their keyboards. But they are bluetooth and not connected to teh device. Dont know how much that matters to you.

 

[jamezr]

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 vs. Apple MacBook Air (2014)

Nice little review....gives the nod to the SP3....

Conclusion

Microsoft Surface Pro 3The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is the better piece of hardware. It’s more versatile, has a better display, superior build-quality, and certain users will flock to it because of the active pen support. Even those not versed in digital inking will likely find it useful for jotting down notes, charts, and sketches.

The Apple MacBook Air is less expensive and offers more bang for the buck. Looking at both purely as laptops, the MacBook Air is the better option thanks to its keyboard, trackpad, and port selection.

But in keeping with the spirit of the endeavor as stated in the intro, “to judge each device on its merits as portable machines for getting serious work done,” its versatility is why the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 wins the day. It’s the better device, though traveling Apple fans shouldn’t fret. Second place ain’t so bad here.

http://www.notebookreview.com/feature/microsoft-surface-pro-3-vs-apple-macbook-air-2014/

 

[Robstevo]

I don't think I will ever buy a surface again to be honest , I had the surface 2 rt till last week and there was some great things about it:

The look of it
The buodl quality
The screen
The amazing kick stand

My problem though was its too big and heavy to be a tablet for me. It's trying to be a tablet but it's just not comfortable enough IMO so I ended up using it as a underpowered laptop but then that kind of defeats the purpose of what its meant to be. I think Microsoft do have the right idea though and in the future that is what tablets will do I think but technology of today just isn't up for it.

Hopefully one day in the not to distant future will see a iPad air size tablet that is able to run all iOS apps and run full sized programs at the same time

 

[Cnasty]

Has anyone actually preordered and if so, which one?

Will the store have any stock at all and which day? I should have asked when I was there Saturday but totally forgot.