Microsoft has launched the new Surface Pro 3, sporting the power of a laptop in the form of a tablet.
I am very curious.
When you compare a Surface Pro 3 versus a comparable MacBook Air, it’s about the same price—around a $100 difference. The Surface Pro 3 has a 12-inch touch display, whereas the MacBook Air can be purchased in an 11-inch and 13-inch size. And when you consider the difference in the operating system, we might very well be comparing apples and oranges.
None the less, it’s a curious question that Microsoft raises in my mind with these three ads for the Surface Pro 3.
Could the new Surface Pro 3 replace your laptop?
http://youtu.be/YfpULoEZIHk
http://youtu.be/1jP4O7rEHQ8
http://youtu.be/yYC5dkQlQLA
What do you think?
The idea of having a full-fledged OS on a tablet is appealing, but it clearly comes at a laptop price tag. Microsoft’s move towards a unified operating system for tablets and computers could be a game changer. However, I can’t help but wonder if the appeal with tablets is the oversimplification of the interface and that is isn’t an actual full fledged operation system.
Even as someone who loves the Apple ecosphere, I believe there are many pastors and ministers who would love using the Surface Pro 3.
Andrew Fallows says
Personally, I’m not that excited about the Surface line because I haven’t been thrilled with what Microsoft has done with the whole Windows 8 family. I have no idea how common my opinion is, but I think the who Metro UI aesthetic with the big colorful boxes and the almost 2D-flat design style is really ugly, and I just don’t have much motivation to use Windows as a software developer.
But! I am excited about what this represents in the timeline of progress toward a product I will want. I have a tablet, but it’s an Asus Transformer – I refused to buy a tablet until a good one came along with a powerful, dedicated keyboard. There are a lot of great uses for a tablet, but for me it’s just darn incomplete if I can’t type comfortably and well on it.
A device at that approximate size, with those approximate specs is definitely on my radar – I’m just not sure I want it to run Windows.
Eric Dye says
I know what you are saying. Knowing what you are comfortable with is SO important and I have not heard very good things about Windows 8. Do you think a tablet like this could replace laptops some day? Or are these two different devices that we will always have?
I can’t help but think about the netbook trend when I see these…
Andrew Fallows says
I think we’re trending toward a common device with a few critical attributes, some pulled from current tablets, some pulled from current laptops/desktops.
* Physical Keyboards will never go away
* Touch screens will become ubiquitous
* Keyboards will be removable/hideable (I like the Lenovo Flex approach http://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/lenovo/flex-series/ )
* Entire device will be portable
* Always online (3G/4G/*G and/or Wifi)
What would be cool to see is some sort of hybrid device where you have your keyboard that you carry with you everywhere which holds some critical information (your identity, credentials, etc) which you can then attach to many different screens. Imagine having your phone on you and needing to send a long email, so you pull out a keyboard and type it out, then when you get to the office you connect the same keyboard to your big monitor so you can work for the day. Then on the train home you realize something you forgot, so you pull out the keyboard and a 12″ display and get that last bit of work done.
Same apps, same credentials, same keyboard, different screens.
Getting a little sci-fi going to that extreme, but I’m pretty confident about the near future (2-3 years) and my bullet points above.
Brad says
I own both Apple and Windows devices, and I have been using my Surface Pro as a daily driver since the original version. I skipped Surface 2 but I bought the SP3 based on:
– adjustable kickstand
– faster processor, more RAM
– improved keyboard
I do a lot of photo and video. One thing that media producers will love is that you can carry this thing around like an iPad, but it has USB3 connectivity AND it has a microSD card slot. This is awesome when I am out in the field; I can pop memory cards out of my cameras and view shots, back them up to hard drives, etc.
I know people are having a hard time with Windows 8, but if you’ve seen what they did with Windows 8.1, they really downplayed the whole tiles/start screen thing. You can spend nearly all of your time on the desktop side (if that’s where you are most comfortable) and it will feel pretty much like Windows 7.
Perhaps the most surprising to me? I am able to edit in Adobe Premiere Pro. Not some watered down, touch version. The FULL SOFTWARE. I use a Bluetooth mouse and I am in business. This is awesome on airplanes, by the way! The whole thing fits well on a tray table.
(Side note: TSA thinks this is a tablet so I can leave it in my bag. Take that, laptops!)
Matt Brier says
We just got one of these in at work as a test device for one of our execs who travels a lot. In setting it up I could definitely see using it in place of the laptop I have with a couple of caveats:
1. The keyboard/touchpad would take some getting used to. It’s thin, it’s a little small, and the keys don’t have the same tactile response as a full size or even a laptop keyboard.
2. It will really shine when they put one out that can be docked to a dock that can support dual monitors in the office.
Bottom line, I like it a lot though I will certainly say the “new toy” factor plays into my assessment some. I’m in the minority in that I actually like the tiles approach with Windows 8 even though it is at its weakest on a non-touchscreen device. With the touchscreen I think it shines even more and if I could afford a Surface Pro 3, I would definitely get one.
Brad says
@Matt, very timely comment… this just came out today: Surface Pro 3 Docking Station. I believe it supports up to 5 monitors (if you include the display on the SP3 device itself.
Eric Dye says
Cool, Matt. Great feedback!
Gangai Victor says
With the addition of the new dock, it does make a super strong case for itself… this might just be the first ‘real’ convertible computing product for real-world usage.
Eric Dye says
True story.