Surface Pro 3

First look: Microsoft Surface 3

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Surface Pro 3 (Image: Microsoft)

6 May 2015

According to the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, all truth passes through three stages: firstly, it is ridiculed, then violently opposed, until finally it is accepted as being self-evident.

When Microsoft released the Surface Pro line of tablets it was to some ridicule of the idea of a tablet that could replace a laptop. It took some time, but now that concept is certainly in stage three of the above truism.

However, the Surface RT, and its successor the Surface 2 that also ran Windows RT, was an attempt at the ‘walled garden’ approachto smart connected devices (SCD). With a locked down, as opposed to cut down, version of Windows running on ARM processors, these two devices also boast a full version of Office, but could only install applications form the Microsoft Store. Having seen how well this ecosystem had worked for Apple, Redmond was, no doubt, desirous of a similar arrangement and set out to achieve it with Windows RT. But both machines were easily capable of light to medium laptop replacement duties, boasting, as they did, proper keyboards, large screens and full Office suites.

Alas, Windows RT never got the developer support it needed, came in for much criticism and is now ultimately doomed, as the Surface 3 sports an Intel Atom processor that runs full Windows 8, but no native Office. There is a one year subscription to Office 365 Personal, but that’s not quite the same thing.

Do it all tablet
So it is a somewhat bittersweet success for Microsoft that having established the category of the ‘do it all’ tablet — perhaps best supported by the imminent, worst-kept secret in the industry 305mm (12”) iPad — it must acknowledge the failure of Windows RT.

However, this is all for the best.

The Surface 3 has more or less the same chassis design as the Surface Pro line, but with a few key differences. Firstly, the dimensions support the 275mm (10.8”) but at just 8.7mm thick, the device is very sleek and weighs just 622g.

The famous kickstand is a three position version, as opposed to the variable one of the Pro, but this is no problem or loss.

Importantly, the Surface 3 now has a micro USB charging socket, though it does require its own specific charger, as even a micro USB charging cable plugged into a Surface Pro 3 dock or power supply does not appear to charge the device. A

UPDATE: Clarifying the above test, the micro USB charging socket will charge most USB capable chargers and there are no restrictions. Further testing has revealed that using a different micro USB cable allowed the test device to charge from both the Surface Pro 3 power supply, docking station and indeed, a generic tablet/smart phone charger. Also, this is a regular micro USB socket for normal data duties too.

Also worth mentioning is that the Surface 3 has an inbuilt auto-focus enabled 8MP camera, up from 5 in its Pro 3 stable mate.

Surface Pro 3 Type cover will work though, but is larger than the specified Type keyboard. The Surface Pen from the Pro 3 will work with the Surface 3, but is sold separately.

The 275mm screen puts it in the same territory as the Surface Pro 2, which was more than adequate for most jobs, and in a consumer device, is well up to movie watching, photo editing or even gaming.

The usual wireless connectivity options are available, but there is also a 4G capable version.

Atom x7
The major specifications are an Intel Atom x7 processor with 2 or 4GB of RAM, and 64 or 128GB of SSD storage. While the device is not as well spec’ed as its Pro stablemate, it is most certainly up to business use and is also aimed very squarely at the education market, at all levels, where Windows RT devices arguably had their greatest success — all of which is reflected in the price.

There will be a Surface 3 docking station too. As with almost all Windows 8.1 devices, when Windows 10 arrives, there will be a free upgrade.

On first use, the Surface 3 is responsive, smooth and fluid in use, though the test device did not have the Office suite installed, so this aspect of performance was not tested. However, when compared side by side with the original Surface RT for example, over the same Wi-Fi link, the Store application loaded from a clean boot with no other applications running on the RT in around 12 seconds, or long enough to get frustrating. On the Surface 3, the same application loaded in less than 3 seconds.

Prices start at €609.99, and considering that this is a fully featured Windows 8.1 device, that is quite good, especially with a claimed the 10 hour battery life. For consumers, this would easily replace a family PC and possibly several other media devices in conjunction with a Microsoft wireless display adapter for big screen usage.

While Microsoft’s first attempt may have fallen away, the Surface 3 will thrive in the niche of laptop replacement, even if it is primarily in the family home or student digs.

 

www.microsoft.com/surface

 

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