Microsoft Unveils Surface Pro 3, "The Tablet That Can Replace Your Laptop"
Today, Microsoft unveiled the Surface Pro 3, the latest in the company’s line of prosumer tablets. The larger, lighter, and somehow thinner tablet is faster than the Surface Pro 2, and gauged as the be-all, end-all “tablet that can replace your laptop.”
It will release tomorrow, May 21, for $799.
The Specs
The Surface Pro 3 weighs in at 800 grams, is 9.1mm thick, has a 12-inch screen (as predicted) with a 3:2 aspect ratio with an HD resolution (actual resolution forthcoming), and is wrapped in a silver and black bezel with air holes that distribute air quietly along the sides of the device without the use of a fan.
As far as horsepower goes, the Surface Pro 3 packs in the latest Intel Core i7 processor, which is the result of what Microsoft calls a “technical love affair” between Intel and Microsoft. The processor itself still requires a fan, but the rest of the machine has new spreading technologies to push air quietly away from the processor to keep it silent.
Kick Back, Type Away
Because the Surface Pro 3 is touted as a laptop-killer, it has a new kickstand and Type cover combo. The new kickstand supports a “canvas mode” that puts the tablet in a 150 degree angle, perfect for use with the new digital pen accessory. The multiple supported angles of the device also help its “lapability,” otherwise known as its usefulness on your lap. Altogether, the kickstand will support three angles, and the Type Cover now includes a larger, more precise trackpad to improve greatly over the ones panned in the Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2.
The new Type Cover also magnetically seals itself to the screen to provide more sturdiness in use, and is designed to feel less like a flimsy tablet setup.
It De-Pen-Ds On Your Preference
The latest and greatest accessory for the Surface Pro 3, and one of the most requested, is a new digital stylus, which Microsoft is simply calling the Surface Pro 3 Stylus. It’s been redesigned to wake the tablet and open OneNote if tapped on top (meaning you want to instantly start taking notes from sleep), even when the device is fully off. When you’re done writing, you can tap the top of the pen to signify to OneNote that you’re finished, and want your notes synced to the cloud on OneDrive. That’s pretty extraordinary in my book.
Launching #SurfacePro3, taking a note, & saving to the cloud- all with a click of the Pen https://t.co/wCtvb9AiEa
— Larry Hryb (@majornelson) May 20, 2014
OneNote will also bring in content from the web when you tap it with the stylus, turning anything on the Internet into a note within OneNote. Also useful.
That’s a Wrap
Again, the Surface Pro 3 will launch tomorrow for $799, making it cheaper than the 13-inch Macbook Air, lighter too, and packing a whole lot of punch. Check for our review of the device soon.
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