Clock ticking for Surface 3 as Microsoft preps for globo-launch Given the losses Microsoft has racked up with the Surface "design point", the firm could be forgiven for drawing a line under the project rather than sending the third generation product to Britain. In a blog post, Microsoft this week confirmed the Pro 3 model will hit the streets in 25 countries including the UK on 28 August …
I have been using tablet pc and convertibles since 2004. And I have yet to crack a screen. The pre "Gorilla Glass" screens developed scratches over time but even that is a thing of the past. Basically any cracked screen is a sign of planned abuse, hostile neglect or an insurance case.
Faulty HDD on an S/P won't happen. They all have SSD. If that fails => guarantee case.
As for the "multiple devices": Have fun keeping the data in sync. It is doable between Windows units using OneDrive or Sharepoint. Between Windows and Android/iOS it quickly gets more hassle.
And a notebook speced similar to a S/P3 + a decend tablet should cost at least the same.
@AC
Replacing the screen on a Surface Pro 3 doesn't require removing any screws; replacing the SSD looks like it requires removing 1 screw... but that doesn't mean it's easy! See iFixit's teardown: https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Pro+3+Teardown/26595
Replacing a broken screen may not be too difficult (since it's already broken), but replacing/upgrading anything else inside likely means replacing the screen too, since it will probably break in the process of removing it to access the other components. Perhaps their "repair" centers have a way of doing it with special tools. In any case, I think the only thing you could upgrade would be the SSD; everything else is soldered on.
At last a docking station coming to the UK. My Surface Pro has been great for use on the train and on surveys across the UK without having to lug a laptop or fight a fondleslab. From desk to on the road this device may not be a major number cruncher but it does demonstrate the direction we should be leaning.
Can you imagine an ARM based Windows RT tablet that COULD join an Active Directory Domain and had a few really killer RT apps for business types baked in? Give it a 10-12 inch retina quality display and an aluminum back. Sell it for $400 or $500 with 4G. I believe that would have sold.
Instead they had to shoehorn a lame implementation of "real" Windows into a tablet form factor with an Intel processor and so help me 64GB is the minimum storage because of the Windows bloat. Gave it a fairly crappy screen, initially, let me think, what else? Oh yeah, a starting price of $729 or somesuch. No thanks. I can buy nice Ultrabook any day of the week for that kind of money and have a form factor where "real" Windows actually makes sense.
Finally, what is with the penchant for MS and others to push all of these convertibles? They aren't very good tablets and they aren't very good laptops either...
I really don't understand a lot of the comments on here. There is clearly a distinction between the Surface(/RT) and the Surface Pro, and they should be treated differently.
The Surface Pro is clearly a Microsoft attempt to produce an Ultrabook, fully specced, and running full Windows whatever-the-version. As such, it has a lot of competition, and it's dog eat dog out there at the moment.
The Surface(/RT) is a more interesting proposition. Criticism is made of not running the 'full' Windows, but, really, why is this such a problem? If you don't like the machine, or the platform, then there's plenty of alternatives out there for providing you with your full Windows. I see the Surface(/RT) as going up against the iPad Air in the corporate market, and it makes a very interesting comparison, when viewed in the context of reasonably successful Apple inroads into the corporate.
For £100 less than the price of an iPad Air, you get a free version of Microsoft Office (business use notwithstanding), the luxury of a USB port, do you can dock away at home, and video output, for more docking. Spend an extra £100 and you get a keyboards which doubles up as a 'lid'.
So what's the problem? Not enough RT apps? So what, if you want a corporate 'tablet', you just get Citrix sorted out, and all your desktop apps are there for you (as they are with the iPad too). Or is it all those games you're missing on your, er, corporate tablet?
The only problem is a psychological one; All those nice decision-makers, playing their Sunday morning round of golf, understand fashion more than technology. The only way for Microsoft to defeat the current Apple-Is-King attitude is for Microsoft to bite the bullet by dropping the prices to a point where there can be no arguments, and to officially commit to the platform for the next few years.
It's a solid hybrid device but to use it properly by the time you add the 'extras' it's an expensive offering.
Microsoft continue to balls up their go to market strategy. I can buy a device cheaper from the Microsoft store than I can through an authorised reseller.
Microsoft would be advised to note, you have a huge channel of partners who would sell these if they could. Surface Pro fills a niche, but I don't see Microsoft making big out of it.
In no US store does Microsoft sell any model PC from any OEM with unlocked 4G.
The Surface 3 Pro would be a decent I Pad replacement were this corrected .... but it won't be corrected.
A really nice travel device would be the Dell XPS 18 with stylus & unlocked 4G .... but Michael Dell & Lawrence Tu apparently don't travel ..... and they haven't even updated this model to Haswell .....
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