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What's Up With the Surface Pro 3?

Surface 3 Uh oh. Here comes Windows' latest attempt at outwitting their rivals in the tablet department. The Surface Pro 3 is said to be so amazing you won't need your computer anymore. With Samsung and Apple dominating the tablet market, the Surface Pro 3 is Microsoft's answer to this stiff competition. So how does the Surface Pro 3 hold up?

The Surface Pro 3 advertises as "the tablet that can replace your laptop." Claiming to have all of the power of a laptop packed into a lightweight package. The Surface Pro 3 certainly has a lot of potential. With a stunning 12" display and the ability to install Microsoft Office Suite it has mass appeal. The Surface Pro 3's integrated kickstand allows you to position the device in a number of ways, allowing you to work freely in a number of enviornments.

It features an Intel INTC Core i5-4300U processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB solid-state drive. The Surface Pro 3 has an expected retail price is $1299. That does seem like a lot, but there are two more affordable options and two higher-priced ones. These prices range from $799 up to $1949. There have been a few hands on reviews floating around the Internet, and the response isn't that bad!

Marco Chiappetta of Forbes.com boasts that there is "no learning curve whatsoever." So, if you're an avid Windows user, picking up one of these bad boys won't be so hard. The Surface Pro 3's processor overshadows any ARM-based mobile device because it performs more like a high-end ultrabook. It's also the thinnest and lightest Core-based mobile device on the market. Weighing only 1.7 pounds, this tablet is certainly lighter than it's predecessors.

The Surface Pro 3's display has a 2,160 x 1,440 resolution. Which makes watching Netflix on this baby really awesome. The battery can last up to 10 hours, and Napier Lopez of nextweb.com streamed a 4K video on YouTube without any dropped frames.

Probably the most valuable accessory to the Surface Pro 3 is the type cover. Unfortunately, this does not come with your new tablet but comes with the added price tag of $130. The keyboard cover snaps into the Surface Pro 3's miracle hinge, and turns this extraordinary tablet into a credible laptop replacement. Microsoft has even been bold enough to say that the Surface Pro 3 is comparable to Apple's MacBook Air.

So how does this tablet hold up compared to it's competitors? Well, there are a few complaints when it comes to the Surface Pro 3. For one thing, it's very expensive. Because the Surface Pro 3 is packed with so much processing power, it is priced very competitively. Don't be surprised if you find yourself spending $1500 for all the bells and whistles. Macro Chiappetta explains, "$130 for the Type Cover is tough to justify when you can find high-end mechanical keyboards for under $100. And $200 for a docking station that'll little more than a stand and glorified port extender / USB hub is pretty pricey."

It's not just the price that has people a little perturbed. Pete Pachal of Mashable claims the Surface Pro 3 fails to, "deliver a tablet experience. While it's certainly a capable machine hardware-wise, it's Windows 8.1 that often lets you down." Ouch. That's gotta sting.

There's only one way to find out if the Surface Pro 3 lives up to all that hype pick one up and find out. The Surface Pro 3 is available for preorder now, and is set to hit the back of UPS trucks on August 31st. So reach deep into your pockets and take a chance on a piece of technology that will probably be obsolete in 6 months.

BitsDuJour does not necessarily agree with the opinions expressed in this article
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What's Up With the Surface Pro 3? Comments

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Kelly Hamblin I had to laugh. "from $799 up to $1949"?? with Windows 8.1?? Hahahahaha
Jun 19 2014 at 6:05pm Copy Link
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Stuart Clarke Jo Pincushion is aptly named for adolescent 'reviews' such as this. Contrary to the article's assertion that the Surface PRO 3 is "a bad boy" (why?) and then "a baby" (again, why???) it's actually a final desperate attempt by Microsoft to flog a massively over-priced (not "competitively" priced) tablet that will not be obsolescent in six months (contrary to yet another of the witless Pincushion's assertions) but will very likely be half the price it is now. Because that's what ha[pened with all previous versions of this doomed tablet: the retail channel didn't want it / couldn't sell it at the price offered, punters didn't want it and so Microsoft had to run a fire sale.

As to the laughably ridiculous expense of this thing's add-ons, Pincushion might've have pointed out that Asus turned a tablet into a laptop back in 2011 with the Transformer TF101 and for nothing like the price Microsoft hopes for here. Since then, Asus has sold over 2 million Transformers. Microsoft has sold half a dozen Surface PRO Elite Ultimate Diamond Wotever. But Pincushion obviously knows nothing of this -- nor much about IT at all, judging by the review's astonishingly informative conclusion that, er, well, people should go out there and buy it and find out all about it for themselves.

How. . . am-az-ing.

Bits Du Jour does itself and its reputation no favors, publishing rubbish like this. A sense of humor is no bad thing in life whether real or virtual, but an inability to write with authority or even, it seems, think clearly, isn't anything to laugh at -- except in the wrong way.
Jul 6 2014 at 12:30am Copy Link
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Alex Kirby Oh I thinks its hilarious that Microsoft even thinks it has a shot in the tablet market. I mean, please with them batting 2 for 4 with their past 4 Operating Systems being nothing more than lets face it, uberly overpriced Frisbees and lets not forget their biggest embarrassment Windows ME. Come on guys, get a clue, Microsoft offers a Great Office Suite, keyboards and mice so that is what they should FOCUS on and leave the Operating Systems, Tablets, Desktops, Laptops, etc. to those that know what they are doing (ie Apple, Samsung, Google, etc).
Aug 6 2014 at 2:41am Copy Link
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JamesCGW Gotta love M$ with the 'Let's shove this at them, they'll love this thing. Oh yeah . . . what is this thing again?' Microsoft's love of operating systems has made them solid over the years. After all we all remember Windows CE,ME,NT. The Windows discs make great coasters.
Aug 13 2014 at 2:19pm Copy Link
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Steven Aves Well, unlike the ignorant "nay sayers" above I own a Suface 3 and the Surface 2 (RT version) for my wife.

We are very happy with these machines. Windows 8.1 is on my Surface 3 and on my desktop.

I happy with Windows 8.1 because I don't have to swap-out my familiar work-horse software (that means I save money and keep being productive). The "Metro" tile setup for tablets works OK for me. I'm not too enthralled with any touch based interface (iphone, ipod, mephone, whatever) because there's just too much "clicky-clicky" and not enough "worky-worky."
Aug 29 2014 at 12:57pm Copy Link
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Mark Johnson Why are outdated articles like this constantly appearing in the left margin on BDJ? My vote is either drop the articles altogether or replace them with fresh content; the same thing day after day in the "Latest Tech News" gets old pretty fast.
Aug 30 2014 at 1:42am Copy Link
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Stuart Clarke @ Mark Johnson: Couldn't agree more. 'Latest Tech News' is almost as big a misnomer as describing this, er, review of Microsoft's tablet as an 'article'. Is BDJ *really* that desperate to fill screen space that it has to devalue itself with stuff as laughable as this? BDJ has many strengths, and I hope it will stick to them, but being able to report and review authoritatively on matters techie like, for example, Fred Langa does in Windows Secrets, certainly ain't one of them. These 'articles' were never expected and on the basis of their infantile editorial content so far, aren't required.
Aug 30 2014 at 4:40am Copy Link
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Nico Westerdale Mark and Stuart, Our Tech news is a new section, we're slowly bringing on more content for it, hopefully more and more soon.

We have plenty of deals to fill screen space, we thought that you guys might like something different that wasn't trying to sell you something. We're not desperate, we're trying something new.

One great thing about this section is that anyone can submit an article to it! SO if you don't like the tone, or have something to say, instead of complaining you can write a piece yourself.

Here's how:
http://blog.bitsdujour.co...jours.html
BitsDuJour Admin - Aug 31 2014 at 10:39am Copy Link
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Stuart Clarke @ Nico: I think your point about “trying something new” will be understood and appreciated by all. It’s the way BDJ is trying it that prompts disagreement.
Yes, of course, I fully understand the democratic imperative, but just because someone feels like having a go at being a brain surgeon doesn’t mean the doors to every hospital have to be thrown open to let ‘em in.

Sorry, Nico, but you’re perpetuating the cosy fallacy that everyone can do everything and anything because everyone is equal in their talents and abilities. But. . . They can’t. Because. . . They’re not. This “Latest Tech News” is a case in point: rather than being what BDJ is representing it to be, it’s clear from your post that this is more a facility for anyone -- whether a communicator of demonstrable IT and editorial provenance or not -- to come along and contribute an “article” because, er, they can use a computer keyboard. In the best interests of BDJ, I’d recommend an urgent re-think.
Aug 31 2014 at 12:27pm Copy Link
0

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