The Redmond giant introduced today Surface Pro 3, a new tablet that makes the previous generation look like a device made for dwarfs and hobbits.
Microsoft’s new tablet was definitely built with a specific audience in mind. After all, bigger screens on mobile devices improve the workflow, not the gaming abilities. During a Surface event, the tech company unveiled the latest generation of tablets, which stands aside from the crowd with the help of its 12-inch display. Its major drawback seems to be the year-old Intel CPU, which might cause the Surface Pro 3 to age quickly.
Panos Panay, a Microsoft executive working on Surface devices, is quite confident about the current iteration of the device, as he stated that “This is the tablet that can replace your laptop.” According to Panay, Microsoft is “looking at an array of devices. It comes down to what customers need right now,” suggesting that sticking to smaller displays is not always good, and that diversification is the key to success for such tech companies. Regarding the operating system of Microsoft tablets, Panay noted that Windows RT “is a critical element as well. It’s still pumping.”
To emphasize that, Steven Sinofsky, an Microsoft executive who helped spearhead development of the Surface claimed today that the new tablet “realizes the ‘no compromises’ vision of Surface.”
Patrick Moorhead, president of research firm Moor Insights & Strategy, commented on Microsoft’s intention of targeting businesses and workers, rather than individual consumers: “This is a smart move by Microsoft. Surface Pro 3 is more of a laptop replacement than a device that replaces your seven-to-eight-inch tablet.”
Surface Pro 3 doesn’t only work as fine as a laptop, but also looks like one when users purchase its accompanying keyboard. Sans the accessory, Surface Pro 3 costs $799, so with the keyboard, the price is bound to go a lot higher.
Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella claimed during the Surface event that “We are not building hardware for hardware’s sake. We want to build experiences that bring together all the capabilities of our company.”
A list of specs and various configurations, along with the corresponding prices, is available on the Surface Pro 3 webpage. As much as I love tablets, I would go for a sleek ultrabook, as the price to performance ratio is much better in that case.
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Sphinx intelligent tablet dock and the high-end Nexus tablet HTC is reportedly working on.
