Microsoft Now Selling Surface Pro 3 with i3, i7 Processors

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Thanks for clearing that up. The only reason we are comparing the Surface to a fully fledged desktop is that Microsoft chose to price it as such. We were pointing out the very fact that this device won't replace a desktop, or even a notebook, and that is what makes the price tag absurd.
 
Muriss, I'm curious, when the hardware industry has countless examples of phones that are priced like some tablets, tablets that are priced like an ultrabook, and ultrabooks that are priced like a desktop, do you ignore form factor advantages/disadvanges of each particular case, or just when it's a Microsoft tablet compared to notably more bulky laptop/desktop?

Sorry, I just get the mental image of some pasty PC guy walking in to buy a cel phone and storming out in outrage when he starts comparing a Galaxy 5's hardware, price per price, to the potential hardware in a PC he could build. What is the reality is that form factor, weight, and general convenience matters a *lot* to some people, and some people are willing to pay a hefty premium to get a great balance of it all in one package.

There are multiple people in here who are stating what is a notable obvious benefit to a certain audience - the whole Surface Pro series has fit the bill for a powerful piece of hardware that is light, thin, fast, and can be used for everything from plugging into a docking station as a full PC, into an overhead projected for a presentation, plunked down on an airplane/coffee shop/library for paperwork, unhooked from its keyboard cover and used to peruse PDFs or ebooks, or even used as a notepad with the pen. Heck, even fight some gaming in there too - I've got an Acer Iconia W700, on par with a Surface Pro 1, and it players Uncharted Waters, Civilization V, and Neverwinter Nights very well.

My my fiancée has a first generation Surface pro and it has *completely* filled her computer needs, and she works for an oil company and does fairly intensive paperwork, presentations, etc. Go figure, that same Pro is the device she plugs into her TV at home to do everything from watch Netflix to play Civilization. She also reads books on the thing. What you are "pointing out" is true for some people - no, a Surface Pro can't replace a desktop/beefy laptop for everyone, but go figure, it can do *precisely* that for a lot of people. Admit it or not, it IS doing what you are claiming that it factually cannot. If it can't do it for you, that's fine - it's not for everyone. That being said, however much you plug your ears and sing a little "SURFACE IS TERRIBLE!" ditty it' a good product that fits the bill *perfectly* for certain audiences.

Personally, I agree that the i7 model is well beyond the pricing point I'd pay for such a device - after my Toshiba Qosmio in the mid 2000's, I'll never pay that much money for a computer of any sort again - but it's worth it for some people.

Whether these things matter to you or not, it's just wilful ignorance to keep yelling the same old mantra. If you don't like the product, that's fine - just recognize that it really is an *awesome* combination for some of us. It'll take a very special device for me to get anything but a Surface or equivalent Windows tablet next time I'm looking for a device to fill my PC niche.
 


I don't ignore the difference in form factor at all. I just expect more from a device when it costs four times as much as the competition. In this case, and this is my personal view, I'd expect not to need to carry another device around. For the record I'm a long time Microsoft customer and manage open license acquisitions that cost quite so many times the price of that particular device. But those make sense to me for what they bring to the table. This is not about brand, this very week I had some good laughs over a Dell XPS 12 costing 4000 dollars from a local reseller.

I never said the device was bad. And yes, it can replace a notebook for some people, but then again, those people could have that for half the cost or less. I'm not bashing the product, I'm stating that I don't believe it makes sense as a practical solution at the price point it is being sold. My view in this product is that I wouldn't buy it or recommend it to a customer.
 
Jackt - $450 is the most you're willing to pay for a portable device with that general weight and those general specs and an i5 or better? Yeah, portable devices that put a premium on weight and performance probably aren't what you're looking for. Plenty of good Atom, i3, or i5 laptops out there that weigh a fair bit more and don't use SSD's for that price range though. Chromebooks too. The Asus T100 is nice for tablets.

Prime example of different price points and different hardware needs appealing to different people. Personally, dragging a computing device around campus and through airports with great frequency, the difference between a 5 pound device and a 2 pound device is significant, especially when I pack two of them for a primary/secondary screen in a library. I can easily understand why dropping $800+ for a tablet device or an ultrabook isn't for everyone - but for those who it isn't the right hardware, is it really so hard to bend your head around swiss army knife type devices that are very light really appealing to certain types of users?
 
Muriss, that's wonderful - but I have to ask, "costs four times as much as the competition"? Could you point out the other sub two pound i7 devices with equivalent RAM, screen size, resolution, ports, and "laplet" hybridity that cost around $500 that you're saying this device competes with?

Personally, I agree. The i7 model is overpriced, and I also think that the storage capacity scaling is overpriced - though, this is practically an industry norm for high profile OEM's and SSDs, so it's not a surprise. The thing is, my department head ordered the i7 on day one, and several people around my fiancée's office have ordered the i7 model.. Evidently there are people willing to pay the premium for the devices. Me? Waiting until the next model is announced and buying last year's mid-range model for 30% off is more my speed, but there are evidently

If you wouldn't tell some customers to consider this, you're doing them a disservice - because even at a premium, something like this is *exactly* what some customers want, even knowing the limited pros for the cost. Is your concern what you would buy, or what your customers might want, despite your personal cost to benefit metric?

 
I don't ignore the difference in form factor at all. I just expect more from a device when it costs four times as much as the competition. In this case, and this is my personal view, I'd expect not to need to carry another device around.
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Which devices are you talking about? That cost 1/4? If you mean a quarter of the $2000 top-end SP3 with Core i7, 8Gb RAM, 512GB SSD and weighs 2 pounds - which device is a competitor that only costs $500 because I would be really interested to find that out.

If you mean an iPad or an Android tablet of any description then please, go right ahead and compare a Chevy Nova to a Ferrari. This is singularly the most powerful device in this size and form factor, when you can edit 4K video or play Battlefield 4 on an iPad then come back. If however you are comparing other Windows based laptops, then for that $500 are you talking a monsterous lump of metal and plastic that you need a fork truck to lift? I doubt at that price they would match the performance either.

The power of a desktop in the size of a tablet, for some people, you really can't put a price on that.
 
Evidently there are people willing to pay the premium for the devices. Me? Waiting until the next model is announced and buying last year's mid-range model for 30% off is more my speed, but there are evidently
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I've noticed the original Surface pro for £380 in the UK which is very tempting indeed.
 
I have the first gen Surface Pro, and absolutely love it. I'm in outsource IT and my most important spec on my laptop/tablet is battery life. I'm always on the go, which is why I may upgrade to the Surface Pro 3 with an i3. Working in virtualized environments doesn't require an i5 or i7 CPU. If I can grab an extra half hour to an hour of battery life by cheaping out on the CPU, I'll do it without hesitation.
 
Love my surface Pro 2 as a teacher. Gets all the tasks done, lets me go from room to room, meeting to meeting, and it's lighter than any textbook I also have to carry.
 
Love all the haters on here talking about getting laptops with the "same specs for less." If you were to do a little research, you would find that these laptops you speak of with the "same specs" that can be bought for less money are lacking things that the SP3 has and in fact, NONE of them provide all the features provided by the SP3... Last time I checked, at the time of release, the Surface Pro 3 was the FIRST DEVICE EVER to have a WaCom Pen enabled screen higher than 1920 x 1080p in a mobile device. That being said, at the time of release, there was NO SUCH DEVICE INVENTED YET that could match the specs of the surface pro 3, AT ANY PRICE POINT.

To the commenter talking about buying 2 MSI gp60 laptops for 1000 each instead of a single SP3 for 2000... The MSI gp60 laptop has a 1080p screen with NO TOUCH, much less WaCom Pen technology, so I faill to understand how you can even come close to comparing these devices. The usage scenarios for these 2 different devices are so far from similar that it would be like comparing a Ferrari to a Land Rover and declaring the Ferrari inferior because it lacks 4 wheel drive.

Its so funny imagining full grown adults acting like children, plugging their ears, closing their eyes, and shouting out "SURFACE SUCKS SURFACE SUCKS NANY NANY NANY" from the tops of their keyboards to anyone on the internet that will listen.

P.S. I totally agree that upcharging 400 dollars to go from 256 to 512 SSD is terrible. Especially with things like the Crucial MX100 512gb drive selling for $220 dollars. I also agree that the 2000 dollar SP3 with I7 and 512 gig SSD is price a little high, however, I believe that the i5, with 256 gig SSD at 1300 price point can't be beat by any other devices in the same price point. The closest you can get are things like the Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro (almost as light, higher res touch screen, BUT no WaCom pen). The Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga (Wacom Pen, BUT only 1080p AND heavier).
 
It seems that most of you are looking at the SP3 the wrong way, comparing it to desktops and laptops. I'm a college student with a CS major. I have a custom desktop with an i7-4770K, 8GB RAM, GTX 770 4GB, etc. I use this system for pretty much everything including web, gaming, photography, and graphic design. I have a Surface RT that I pretty much only use for media these days as a result of its lack of speed, and a Lumia Icon as my phone. I'm personally interested in 13.3-14 inch ultrabooks and the surface pro 3 because they have a fair amount of power yet I can just throw it in a bag. I am mainly interested in the i5/8GB/256GB model because its just as capable as any ultrabook and can also work as a tablet, replacing my Surface RT in the process. With my student discounts I can save about $165 for this with the keyboard which makes it a great value when compared to ultrabooks. Additionally, the screen resolution and aspect ratio are more ideal for what I do. Not to mention the pen which would be great for note taking and photo manipulation.

To put it simply, I have a powerful desktop if I really need the capability. The SP3 is great since if I need to take notes in class or edit photos during a shoot or on the go. I could buy a laptop for less that can do just about the same things as many of you are saying, but would I want to carry an entire laptop with me all the time? No.

When looking at the SP3 consider situations such as this. Also think about the specifics such as the pen, aspect ratio, versatility, and build quality.
 
Wow, for that price one would be better off with a laptop. It can be serviced and upgraded to an extent at least, not to mention would most likely perform much better. $1,300 could buy a pretty nice gaming laptop, or a full blown Micro ATX gaming rig that would spank both of the latter. Not to mention when this begins to slow down from SSD wear (Like what happens with smart phones internal storage over time), or has a hard time in the future with newer, more demanding applications it will become a paper weight eventually as it cannot be upgraded at all. I know laptops face this threat as well but they are higher performing than these for the price, which should hold them off from becoming obsolete longer than these will. Hell, my 2 year old smart phone is already having issues keeping up with newer apps and feels like it should be retired for a new one. Is it just me, or is the price for performance on smaller form factors getting worse?
 


Again, totally missing the point. Why would someone interested in the usage case of a portable device that has a precision pen with handwriting / drawing / note taking support be interested in a regular laptop, much less a desktop? Taking notes on a screen that is permanently attached to the keyboard isn't nearly as useful. Also, I'm still searching for this 1300 dollar laptop that has a high resolution screen as well as WaCom pen support that you guys keep referring to. Unfortunately, I am unable to find it because it doesn't exist. Many laptops that can even come close to the size and portability (of the surface pro) these days are "ultrabooks" and are also non-user upgradeable or serviceable. The surface isn't the only one in that boat. Also, the surface has the same ram, CPUs, and SSDs inside that all the other laptops have, so I don't know where you get the idea that the Surface is somehow less powerful than other laptops. It is true that you can't replace the SSD, however the notion you or any other day to day user will "wear out" a modern day SSD is laughable at best. Please read up on the durability of current SSDs before you make remarks like that. No normal user is going to write hundreds of Terabytes to their SSD in any normal amount of time. It would take years and years to do so, at which point, they would have already moved on to the Surface 4, 5, 6, etc.... 😀
 


Let me introduce you to someting called TRIM: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trim_(computing)
 


Yea I understand the purpose of the touch screen use, but do they not make touch screen laptops too? The only advantage I see in something like this is portability. As for SSD's, I have one in my current rig. It is used for the OS and other programs and drivers. I love the thing! Now with this I have felt no difference in performance from when it was new to now, and it has been used a lot! SMART report shows 99% life left, and it will definitely be good to use for years, I'm sure. Also, I was unaware that this used laptop SSD's, I thought it was using more of a mobile phone type of set up. Thanks for the correction there!

My reasoning about the storage situation was based on my old HTC One, which is getting slower to read and write things to it's internal storage. The phone is almost 2 years old (Ancient, I know lol), but it is feeling it's age. It is definitely slower than when it was new even after a few factory resets. Takes minutes to cold boot with no apps installed instead of roughly a minute like it used to when it was full of start up apps and new, takes longer to transfer files from it's SD card or to put pictures/videos on the internal storage from my computer. I have no clue why this is as I know modern 2.5" SSD's are extremely durable, just stating what I have experienced. Although you are definitely right in that nobody keeps mobile devices for as long as I do:lol: Maybe it has something to do with the memory controllers used in 2.5" SSD's vs. the ones in phones/tablets? OR maybe the memory itself is of a lower grade? Or maybe my phone is just that out dated and new mobile devices do not wear as easily as they did when I bought it.
 


Ah, yes I think this might explain why my phone has slowed as much as it has, it is using android 4.0. TRIM is available since 4.3 according to your link. Very informative, thanks for that link😀
 


It was a major flaw with the initial run of the Nexus 7. They finally fixed it though.
My main gripe with the SP3 is that the pen runs on a battery and really has an extremely limited use case. I'd prefer they make the keyboard $50 and make the pen an extra purchase.
 
Of course it's not the right product for you exactly because it is expensive for that form factor. Making a tablet like that is going to be expensive no matter how you look at it with current technology. I5, 256GB, 8GB ram all in that super thin form factor running windows is an impressive thing. They also have to recoup for R&D for this device too which is also substantially expensive.

Yes, it is expensive, but that is a limitation out of MS control. It would be unprofitable to sell it 25%+ cheaper. Around 1200 for the i5/256GB/8GB Surface Pro 3 isn't that bad for what you are getting. A 128GB iPad air is practically 800 dollars, and for 100 more you can get a surface pro 3 capable of SO much more. Microsoft isn't trying to charge a premium here like Apple.

A surface Pro 3 basically fulfills the shoes of almost any computer with the exclusions of those meant for heavy gaming or ones meant for heavy computational power for encoding, rendering, and the likes.

Of course GPU's can be used for more than gaming, but if you need a GPU for your workload then you will not be using laptop. Only reason I said gaming was because that is what the majority may complain about.

Single feature? Mobility, versatility, touch screen, pen for writing, capability of running a full Windows OS more than adequately good with hundreds of applications to run not from an "APP STORE," nice high resolution screen, lightness.

You further miss the point of the device. It's for certain people like I've mentioned already. It's perfect for those who want a device that is all about work, and a little bit of play with the features I've mentioned above. Why would you want to carry around a 7 pound BULKY device all the time.

These devices will probably become cheaper in the future, but not with current technology right now. It is a very good device and worth the extra cash if you need the versatility of the device.
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You further miss the point of the device. It's for certain people like I've mentioned already. It's perfect for those who want a device that is all about work, and a little bit of play with the features I've mentioned above. Why would you want to carry around a 7 pound BULKY device all the time.

These devices will probably become cheaper in the future, but not with current technology right now. It is a very good device and worth the extra cash if you need the versatility of the device.
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If I'm missing the point, so is every other logical person seeing the price of this product - not to mention Microsoft themselves. Initially their own research showed that most people own both a tablet and a laptop. In addition, those consumers who own both want both - they don't want a tablet for their laptop work and they don't want a laptop for tablet use. Then Microsoft turns around and says the Surface Pro 3 will replace laptops whilst still offering a tablet-like interface. Sure this $2000 unit is going to replace my $1000 laptop and $400 tablet for an additional $600. It will under-perform one and match the other all for a nifty fee.

Any way, the sales numbers speak for themselves. The Surface Pro 3 has been priced into a niche market and the sales volumes reflect that. It wouldn't even be necessarily a bad thing if Microsoft advertised the product appropriately for its price-point.
 
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