ubercake :
It's really hard to take the Surface 3 seriously when there are things like the Asus T100 (comes with a keyboard/dock) for so much less money at around $350. When you consider what it really costs to even buy the low-end Surface 3 when you throw the $120 keyboard in the mix, you're talking about a $620+ entry point for a tablet. That's not good. Even with this discount, you're still looking at a near $500 device (with the keyboard) with only a 1-year warranty. If MS is going for a premium market, they need to offer a 3-year warrant and treat their customers like they're dealing with a premium product. If they won't back their product for more than a year, they need to drop the price down between $300-$400 with the keyboard.
Can people please stop using the T100 and Switch 10 to "show" the Surface 3 is overpriced? I own a Switch, and though I like it vey much, I realize it's not in the same league as the Surface 3. Let's compare the specs:
T100
Z3775 Bay Trail ( 1.46 GHz - 2.39 GHz ) Quad core
2GB LPDDR3 1066 RAM, dual channel
1366 x 768 IPS display
802.11 N wireless
Plastic chassis
Switch 10
Z3735F Bay Trail ( 1.33 GHz - 1.83 GHz ) Quad core
2GB LPDDR3 1333 RAM, single channel
1280 x 800 or 1366 x 768 IPS display
802.11 N wireless
Plastic chassis
Surface 3
x7 Z8700 Cherry Trail ( 1.6 GHz - 2.4 GHz ) Quad core
2GB LPDDR3 1600 RAM, dual channel
1920 x 1280 IPS display
802.11 AC wireless
Al-Mg chassis
Optional LTE
Backlit keyboard
Kickstand
So, to sum up, the Surface 3 has a newer, faster CPU, faster RAM, faster wireless, higher res display, and much better chassis than these $300 tablets people keep comparing it to. It also offers an LTE option and backlit keyboard. The tablet itself is probably $50 overpriced, and should be $550 - $575 including cover.
You want this to be $400 including keyboard? Please find me one other 2-in-1 device with these specs, this size, and this fit and finish for only $400. The closest I can find is the T100 Chi for $450. You get the higher res display, but lose the full-size USB, get a plastic case, and are still stuck with a last gen CPU, slower RAM, and 802.11 N. You
might have an argument to see the S3 w/ keyboard at $500, but that's pushing it. So can we please stop with these ridiculous comparisons and pricing demands?
The real competition with the S3 would be something like the Switch 11, which gets you a FHD IPS display, i3-4012Y, 4GB RAM, and 60GB storage for $580 or 128GB for $650 ( and I've seen that model on sale for as little as $500. ) It's a little bigger than the S3 and doesn't have as fancy a case, but it has significantly more power as well.
I will agree on the warranty, a 3- or 5-year deal should be included with the S3 if it's billed as a premium device.