Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
According to Microsoft the Surface Pro 3 weighs 800 grams which is about 1.76 pounds. The type cover 2 weighs .55 pounds. So it's about the same weight as the 11.8" MBA (2.38 pounds) and lighter than the 13" Air (2.96 pounds). Also according to Ars Technica the battery life is 9 hours. That's the same as the 11.8" Air and less than the 13"Air (12 hours). Considering the Air has what I would consider a real keyboard and trackpad I'll take the slightly heavier weight.

Only 9 hours?

Whatever will the people using the SP3 do?!

You do have a point about the trackpad, though. I'm using a first generation type cover, and that's my one complaint. The keyboard itself is really good, though.
 
Surface Pro has always been the 'laptop replacement device'.

Surface RT has been the iPad replacement device

Microsoft messed up big time by branding them the same name... so confusing...

That said, this is actually pretty cool

I don't get this whole "laptop replacement" nonsense. As far as I'm concerned the Surface Pro IS a laptop, so I'm not sure what it's replacing. It's just another version of a laptop. Until Microsoft advertises it without the kickstand and keyboard and in portrait orientation I don't consider it replacing anything.
 
maybe he gets a discount? I get 9% off Apple.com purchases, so a $999 macbook air would be cheaper for me ;)

Lucky. I got to pay full price for my MBA a couple years back. :\

IMO:

Pros:
- Docking stations: Yes. Leave the external display, keyboards and mice at home and/or work... Keep everything minimal for on the go. I want my on the go "brains" to be iPad mini sized and fit in my cargo pants pocket.
- new aspect ratio: nexus soon to follow?
- I'd think using one note on one of these will continue to evolve to be a killer app for ms and office. apple should buy evernote and fix it.

Cons:
- too heavy to use one-handed with a stylus
- kickstands: No way I can't fit kickstand, tablet, and keyboard in my lap in a coach seat.
- size: I'm thinking tablets might go away over time in favor of phablets. A 12 inch laptop or tablet needs a computer bag.
- size2: Do you need a huge screen on a tablet? Maybe doctors looking at Xrays, Graphic Artists... But web surfers, book readers and emailers? No
- i7 in a tablet: How hot does it get? this might be better suited for 14nm broadwell chips

Too heavy at less than 2 lbs.

Seriously guys, how do you function?
 
You should go to the Apple Online Store.

13-inch : 128GB
Specifications
1.4GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
Turbo Boost up to 2.7GHz
Intel HD Graphics 5000
4GB memory
128GB PCIe-based flash storage1
$999.00
Free Shipping
6, 12, or 18 month
special financing
Available to ship:
Within 24 hours
Select
Available for pickup:
How much to add touchscreen or optional removable keyboard? :D
 
I think the slide they put up about 96% of ipad owners also own a laptop is misleading. I bet a very high percentage of those users rarely use their laptops anymore. To me the surface pro hybrid concept just isn't quite practical enough yet with the accessory keyboard and kickstand.

For me to buy, it'd have to essentially have the quality and build of my 13" macbrook pro retina, with one click detachment of the screen into tablet mode. When connected to the keyboard, you shouldn't be able to tell its not a macbook pro.

I think the key is that right now most of the weight of a laptop is in the base, where in a tablet its in the "screen" which makes for some awkward lap use. If they can get the ipad thin/light enough and counter balance with a nice aluminum macbook pro style keyboard attachment, they'd kill the market.
 
While I still think there is something fundamentally flawed about this floppy keyboard laptop hybrid thing, I have to admit the hardware itself is looking much better.
 
I am curious as to how this will affect the future of the Surface RT line seeing as there was no Surface 3 (RT) announcement. Similarly, given the size difference between the Surface 2 Pro and the Surface 3 Pro as well as the similarities in hardware under-the-hood, I'm wondering if they are to be as complimentary in their respective lineups as the iPad Air and the iPad Pro are rumored to be in the future or iPad Air and iPad mini are today.
 
So they have to dominate the market to be profitable? iOS doesn't dominate the market anymore. A product doesn't have to dominate to be profitable or to be good.

You're right. Android dominates the market and they aren't profitable or good. Microsoft is just trying to play that game instead of Apple's.
 
Anyhow, I hope the Surface catches on this time. Apple seriously needs some competition. They're getting arrogant.

I agree. I would love to use my iPad at work but as it stands today, it's a consumption device and not made for real work productivity.
If a competitor would gain some market share with tablet productivity, then just may be, Apple will deliver a tablet capable of work place productivity for the masses, not just recording artists or visual graphic professionals.
 
Thinner and lighter than an MBA?

At first I thought it read thinner and lighter than an iPad Air. Now that would have been impressive.

Still, this is a nice looking piece of kit. If I were still in the Windows world, I'd be pretty excited about it, I think.
 
The surface pro was ahead of it's time being a tablet running a desktop os. The technology wasn't quite there to pull it off properly but now it's starting becoming a compelling product. Once broadwell lands, I think the tech will be there so apple can release the iPad pro running OSX. Or maybe it will be OSXI, OSX with a iOS layer brought up like launchpad in OSX.

It makes sense.... OSX + iOS = OS(X+I) = OSXI... It's just simple algebra :p

I know it probably won't happen but a man can dream right? It would be the perfect machine for me to use at uni...
 
While I understand the people who don't like Windows kit and I'm one of them I still unfortunately have to use one for work purposes and it's a crappy Lenovo.

I would happily swap that for one of the new Surface 3's

See the pic, the Lenovo Laptop, just doesn't fit well on my desk :)
 

Attachments

  • 2014-05-20 10.27.07.jpg
    2014-05-20 10.27.07.jpg
    1.4 MB · Views: 192
I wanted to give it a try, so I bought Surface 2 + type cover last year right after the announcement. At the beginning, I didn't like it because the software wasn't stable enough, compared to iOS. but it has been improving over time. For now, it's much more stable and, to be honest, i would say that it's better than iPad now.

I havn't touched my iPad for a long time since I got Surface. To me, tablet should be more than just a 'gadget'. It's true that Microsoft isn't the first company who introduces a 'good' tablet like Apple is, but it is the first firm who introduces the hybrid tablet, which allows you to increase your productivity and use it as a 'gadget' at the same time.

iPhone and MBA are still my first choices, but for the (hybrid)tablet I think MS is going to be a winner eventually.
 
I can see how you use it on a table, but I can't see how you use it as a laptop.

Having used the previous models, and the floppy keyboard/trackpad, it’s pretty underwhelming, but without an external/physical keyboard, it’s a mediocre substitution for a laptop.

This poster is right on:

It's a tradeoff. You gain that but lose the high quality stylus digitizer, retina quality screen, and the ability to be used as a one handed tablet.

It’s a pro/con scenario and where you place the most value. As a “laptop”, it’s a bit of a compromise, but it adds in some very good "tablet features”.


IMO:

- new aspect ratio: nexus soon to follow?

Great post, but wanted to highlight that one item: I’ve said for quite a while that the overall tablet experience is _better_ with a wider (which becomes taller in portrait) display. Yeah, videos are a little better on 16:9, but for many (most?) other uses, I find the 4:3 (or in this case, the 3:2) a better A/R (in fact, I would’ve preferred the iPhone to stay with 3:2 ...)

:cool:
 
Until the Surface PRO gets LTE, it won't compete with the iPad. If it gets LTE, the iPad will have a legit competitor. I would buy this if it had LTE.
 
Pretty cool, but I think this is a confused product.
MS can't really decide if it's trying to make a tablet or a laptop.

So they made a convertable... yeah, that tried and failed idea from the past.

It's all compromises:

You can add the keyboard to use it like a laptop... But compared to the Macbook Air...
  • Must fiddle around with the snap on cover and fold out kickstand
  • More expensive (and no longer lighter)
Or forego the cover and use it like a tablet. But compared to the iPad Air
  • Bigger, heavier, more expensive
  • very little software designed for touch

If you need Windows and want a tablet this isn't bad, especially if you really want a stylus for some reason. Otherwise, I don't see why anyone would get this.
 
Only 9 hours?

Whatever will the people using the SP3 do?!

You do have a point about the trackpad, though. I'm using a first generation type cover, and that's my one complaint. The keyboard itself is really good, though.

Hey I'm not here to knock the device...as a laptop. But if it's going to be compared to a MBA then when mentioning weight it's only fair to include the keyboard cover. Once you do that it's not that much lighter than an Air.

I do find it interesting that Microsoft appears to be going after the Air hard when personally I think their biggest concern should be Chromebooks.
 
Having used the previous models, and the floppy keyboard/trackpad, it’s pretty underwhelming, but without an external/physical keyboard, it’s a mediocre substitution for a laptop.

This poster is right on:



It’s a pro/con scenario and where you place the most value. As a “laptop”, it’s a bit of a compromise, but it adds in some very good "tablet features”.




Great post, but wanted to highlight that one item: I’ve said for quite a while that the overall tablet experience is _better_ with a wider (which becomes taller in portrait) display. Yeah, videos are a little better on 16:9, but for many (most?) other uses, I find the 4:3 (or in this case, the 3:2) a better A/R (in fact, I would’ve preferred the iPhone to stay with 3:2 ...)

:cool:

To meet your lap comment, you should watch the video. The new keyboard does something to help out with it being floppy.

----------

Hey I'm not here to knock the device...as a laptop. But if it's going to be compared to a MBA then when mentioning weight it's only fair to include the keyboard cover. Once you do that it's not that much lighter than an Air.

I do find it interesting that Microsoft appears to be going after the Air hard when personally I think their biggest concern should be Chromebooks.

It's half a pound lighter than the 13" MBA.

According to your logic, the iPad Air isn't that much lighter than the Surface 2. :|
 
I'm really surprised the MS is still using the "compared to X Apple product" in pitching their products. The comparisons simply show how they're not comparing apples to apples, but rather Apple's to MS's.

The duality of the Surface also shows just how compromised Windows is - the Surface really performs better in laptop form when using the keyboard and trackpad - because touch-based use can realistically only be done in landscape mode. Portrait mode is nothing but a mess - which is why they never show it being used that way. It's the wrong shape.

So it's a decent laptop, once you buy the keyboard and additional storage - but at that point you are going to compare to the MacBook Air, which by the way can run Windows and OSX - so that begs the question again - why is MS using Apple as a target?
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.