Microsoft announces the Surface Pro 3

[seawolf]

Thing is, if those devices made by Microsoft are high quality with good support, will customers care? What does it matter to a customer if they want a Windows PC of some form, whether it is made by Microsoft or Acer etc...?

 

Its a risky bet to be making, but Microsoft could be thinking long term "who cares about other manufacturers making our stuff?", fully mimicking Apple.

 

Why it matters to Microsoft is that a big portion of their revenue comes from OEM licensing of Microsoft software to PC manufacturers. They've had huge growth in their cloud services business, but if their long-time cash cow of Windows OEM licensing plummets because of a poorly orchestrated takeover of the PC hardware manufacturing industry - they will suffer. Shareholders don't like surprises and big surprises could send MS into leadership turmoil, particularly with a relatively young and unproven CEO at the helm.

 

How do you know that about the Surface Pro 3? It hasn't been released yet!

 

Because even the iPad 1 was a chore trying to read eBooks on it for an extended period of time and the much larger screen of the S3 would make it even more cumbersome in that regard. The S3 is a big tablet and no tablet of that size yet has proven to be popular or useful in everyday use. As for not sitting on the lap as well as a normal laptop - have you tried it much with a Surface or Surface 2? It's not nearly as easy to use like that and is best used on a desk or table top with the kickstand. Unless there has been a 500% improvement in the keyboard and trackpad, then I seriously doubt it is going to be as good as the keyboard and trackpad on a MBA or good Ultrabook.

[zag]

The Surface 3 is too big to function as a good tablet (try reading an eBook for a good while with one and let me know how that goes) and it won't sit on the lap as well as a normal laptop and the keyboard isn't as good either. It's still very much a compromise device. Perhaps a better compromise, but still a definite compromise.

 

Yep, I read this earlier as well on the Reg

 

 

 

Both of these are important steps, to be sure. But they both miss the crucial flaw in the Surface design – its lack of a firm hinge. To use the Surface and keyboard on the move, the kickstand has to be deployed, and that increases the overall horizontal length needed to use the device.

 

http://regmedia.co.uk/2014/05/20/surface_pro_3_lap.jpg

 

Panay demonstrated this weakness inadvertently during his demo. He's of average build and put the Pro 3 on his knees; it fitted, but with the side effect of sticking the trackpad into his stomach – typing was possible but hardly comfortable. Nevertheless, he said he was confident the design worked.

 

Microsoft Surface 3 Pro: Flip me over and fondle me up

[localzuk]

Thing is, as much as we call notebooks laptops, most manufacturers now tell you not to use them in your lap... Brought about after various cases of burnt legs and testicles... (That was a tongue in cheek answer btw).

 

Why it matters to Microsoft is that a big portion of their revenue comes from OEM licensing of Microsoft software to PC manufacturers. They've had huge growth in their cloud services business, but if their long-time cash cow of Windows OEM licensing plummets because of a poorly orchestrated takeover of the PC hardware manufacturing industry - they will suffer. Shareholders don't like surprises and big surprises could send MS into leadership turmoil, particularly with a relatively young and unproven CEO at the helm.

 

Microsoft might be thinking "why are we giving away all that profit to OEMs when we could be making the machines ourselves and keeping the profit in-house!"... As I said, its a risky game, but it could be very profitable for them if it pays off.

Edited May 21, 2014 by localzuk

[seawolf]

Microsoft Surface 3 Pro: Flip me over and fondle me up

 

Yes, I think the biggest flaw in the Surface 3 - is that it isn't a laptop. If they'd thrown away the hinge and keyboard cover in favour of a transformer-type tablet-laptop hybrid I reckon they would have a much bigger market.

[Norphy]

It's nice, the hardware is an improvement and it's not much bigger. I have to agree with the Register though about the kickstand being the devices biggest flaw though. It's great if you want to use the device on a desk but I can't see why they couldn't introduce a keyboard with a proper hinge as well. Dell do one, Asus do one, loads of other manufacturers do them do. Making one of those wouldn't mean they'd have to get rid of the kickstand but it would make using the device on your lap a lot, lot nicer.

[seawolf]

Microsoft might be thinking "why are we giving away all that profit to OEMs when we could be making the machines ourselves and keeping the profit in-house!"... As I said, its a risky game, but it could be very profitable for them if it pays off.

 

Yes, but it's the type of gamble that a company in distress would normally take. Like what Apple did it when they had nothing to lose and Jobs killed all of the clones and cut a deal with Microsoft. I still think it was a strange, strange decision. Balmer's last stand I think.

[localzuk]

Yes, but it's the type of gamble that a company in distress would normally take. Like what Apple did it when they had nothing to lose and Jobs killed all of the clones and cut a deal with Microsoft. I still think it was a strange, strange decision. Balmer's last stand I think.

 

It worked well though... So Microsoft seem to be copying them.

[seawolf]

Gen 1 products are always going to be... problematic. Out of interest, what's the cost of p&p to the UK?

 

Probably around $50-60 AUD I'd say. Not sure what the import duties would be though.

[seawolf]

It worked well though... So Microsoft seem to be copying them.

 

Yes, but it worked well because Apple was always a hardware company first and software company second, and they have long been vertically integrated in respect to end-to-end product design, (contract) manufacture, marketing, retail, and support of the whole product.

 

Microsoft is certainly trying to turn the Titanic, but I wonder if they are actually steering the ship into an iceberg rather than away from it...

 

Anyway, I'll stop raining on this parade. The S3 might sell like hotcakes in a cold Canadian winter who knows. It will be interesting to hear some hands on reviews and to try one out myself.

Edited May 21, 2014 by seawolf

[Arthur]

Paul Thurrott seems impressed.

 

Surface Pro 3 Preview

 

This device answers most of my criticisms of the existing Pro devices while seemingly achieving that goal of being both a good tablet and a good laptop. That's no small achievement.

 

Most of the people I was hanging around with at the event don't have big enough laps (or long enough upper legs, I guess) to use it on a lap, but if you do, it works much, much better than with previous Surfaces.

 

Yes, the device is on the big side for a tablet. But the thinness and lightness of Surface Pro 3 combine to make this less problematic than you may currently believe.

 

[...]

 

Within the confines of a device that can be used as both a tablet and a laptop, the Surface Pro 3 screen is arguably ideal. I may personally prefer a bigger 13-inch (or even bigger) screen, but I think Microsoft struck the right balance with this one. And the 3:2 aspect ratio is an absolute surprise and a delight, something I never expected to see. (Source)

 

On the Amtrak train ride home from New York, the Ultrabook screen next to me was shaking regularly with the shaking of the train, but the Surface Pro 3 was rock-solid. (Source)

 

I don't believe the bigger, new trackpad on Surface Pro 3 is actual glass, but it is just as good. This is arguably the second-biggest improvement on this accessory (after that magnetic stability strip), offering much more responsive and accurate performance. It is, in short, actually usable. Which is important because the Pro 3's single USB port limits the possibility of using an external mouse if you need that port for something else. (Source)

 

According to AnandTech, the Surface Pro 3 is also one of the first devices to support Connected Standby in 64-bit versions of Windows.

 

Windows 8.1 x64 Connected Standby Support

 

Today, we can confirm that Connected Standby is now available in 64 bit installs of Windows 8.1. Anand has confirmed that it is working in the new Surface Pro 3, and Intel has also confirmed to us that the drivers and firmware are complete to allow Connected Standby on Bay Trail-T processors. There has been some questions about the lack of support with some tablets such as the Lenovo ThinkPad 10 now offering a 64 bit install option, but assuming Lenovo has added all of the required pieces for Connected Standby, it should be available. The final result is still dependent on the OEM to choose the correct pieces, and ensure all necessary flags are set. Intel has confirmed that the HP ElitePad 1000 G2 is running Bay Trail-T x64 and has Connected Standby enabled.

 

With these developments, Intel based tablets can now offer the instant-on capabilities of smartphones, even with the 64 bit OS. AMD currently has no plans to support Connected Standby.

Edited May 22, 2014 by Arthur

[Zoom7000]

Isn't Paul Thurrott impressed by everything with a Microsoft logo?

 

The argument about the keyboard & lap usability would be easily solved by something like a hard aluminium keyboard that the tablet could dock in to. Kinda like the HP Envy X2. This would certainly give it more of a comfortable use on the lap.

[Dos_Box]

I really hope they have these on the Microsoft stand at ISTE next month. If they do, rest assured we'll let you know that they are like

[zag]

Isn't Paul Thurrott impressed by everything with a Microsoft logo?

 

Nah.... even he didn't like windows 8

[Arthur]

[Arthur]

Surface Pro 3 « Penny Arcade

 

The Surface Pro 3 does a lot of stuff right. The device is ridiculously light and thin. It still manages to feel sturdy and well built though. The new screen is absolutely beautiful and the extra couple of inches makes a big difference when using it. There will be plenty of great reviews of this machine from all different perspectives, but today I'm just going to talk about how the Surface Pro 3 works for artists.

[flyinghaggis]

I've read through the Surface 3 pre-order page and the pricing/spec options have left me feeling somewhat frustrated. On the face of it that seems like a pretty good deal but the base model comes with a near useless 64Gb SSD which only has 23Gb free out of the box. To get up to the spec I'd want with a 256Gb SSD and 8Gb RAM it costs £1109 and even then I need to add keyboard cover at an additional £110. That comes to a much more substantial £1220 which is nearly double what the base model costs! Edited June 13, 2014 by flyinghaggis

[Arthur]

the base model comes with a near useless 64GB SSD which only has 23GB free out of the box.

Where are you getting the 23GB figure from? Microsoft's website says it has > 36GB available out-of-the-box.

 

To get up to the spec I'd want with a 256GB SSD and 8GB RAM it costs £1,109 and even then I need to add keyboard cover at an additional £110. That comes to a much more substantial £1,220 which is nearly double what the base model costs!

It's a bit cheaper if you qualify for edu pricing: £998.10 + £109.99 = £1,108.09.

 

For comparison, a 13" MacBook Air with 8GB RAM and a 256GB SSD costs £1,015.20 on the Apple Edu Store and that has a rubbish LCD (low-res TN panel, no touch or digitizer) and slightly slower Core i5 processor. The Surface Pro 3 is only £92.89 more expensive in this instance.

 

A touch-screen Asus Transformer Book T300LA is currently £956.97 (reduced from £1,104.97) and that only has 4GB RAM and a 1920x1080 LCD.

 

Even if you ignore the edu pricing, the Surface Pro 3 is still competitively priced for the features it offers. You're right that they should offer more storage, but I suppose that's up selling for you.

[sted]

it still makes no sense not to have a 128gb i3 that to me would be the "butter zone" and lets be honest id bet it would cost ms less than £10

[flyinghaggis]

@Arthur

 

Thanks for the heads up about the educational discount. I hadn't realised MS offered that. Regarding the 23Gb of free space that must have been for the last gen surface. 36Gb is still far from really usable by the time you install a couple of apps and service packs/patches in future though.

 

I guess in the scheme of things compared to the competition it is competitively priced but I think they could have offered more cost effective combinations of spec. 128Gb SSD should really be the minimum and they shouldn't force you to buy the upgraded i5 CPU in order to get it. That and the keyboard should be bundled with the device and not a £110 extra.

[Arthur]

36GB is still far from really usable by the time you install a couple of apps and service packs/patches in future though.

The 64GB model is probably fine for people who need a tablet for web browsing, Microsoft Office / OneNote and not much else.

 

The Surface Pro 3 most likely uses the new WIMBoot feature of Windows 8.1 Update 1 so I don't think it will run out of space due to Windows updates etc.

 

Windows image file boot (WIMBoot) lets you set up a PC so that it runs directly from a compressed Windows image file (WIM file).

 

WIMBoot can significantly reduce the amount of space used by Windows files. This helps you provide more free space to users, and helps you manufacture Windows on PCs with smaller drives.

 

[...]

 

When installing Windows with WIMBoot, you write the files to the disk only once, in compressed format. Next, you apply a set of pointer files onto the Windows partition that point back to the compressed files in the Images partition. When the user adds files, apps, or updates, they're added onto the Windows partition.

 

In WIMBoot, your WIMBoot image is also used as the recovery image, saving disk space.

Edited June 24, 2014 by Arthur

[Arthur]

iFixIt have posted a teardown of the Surface Pro 3 and have given it a score of 1 out of 10 for repairability. In the process of taking it apart they also cracked the screen!

 

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Teardown

 

[abillybob]

iFixIt have posted a teardown of the Surface Pro 3 and have given it a score of 1 out of 10 for repairability. In the process of taking it apart they also cracked the screen!

 

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Teardown

 

Looks a bit of a mess! I don't expect most tablets to have a good score when it comes to repairability they're normally very small components compressed into and even smaller shell, screws and brackets are normally the last thing on the companies mind when trying to make an i5 Ultra Book fit in a small tablet. This wouldn't bother me so much!

[Zoom7000]

iFixIt have posted a teardown of the Surface Pro 3 and have given it a score of 1 out of 10 for repairability. In the process of taking it apart they also cracked the screen!

 

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Teardown

 

 

It's a sad state of affairs with the newer tablets and smartphones that most will have the same lack of repairability as they get smaller and more compact. It kinda ensures that you are forced to go back to the manufacturer for expensive repairs!

[pcstru]

Someone

[Arthur]

Someone not impressed by Surface Pro 3

So Linus loves how thin and sleek the new Surface Pro 3 is compared to the previous models, but wants Microsoft to make it thicker in order to store the pen inside the tablet (something he admits he wouldn't use). Yeah, that makes sense!

 

 

Left: SP2 / Right: SP3