Surface Pro 3

evolutionqy7

Anyone see the even today?

Looks pretty sweet, they upped the display size and resolution.

Available internationally in August.
Starting price $799...start saving now

Also has a range of processors to suit everybody's need from i3 to i7.

Been pretty happy with my 1st gen surface pro so far. The only thing I would have held against it was the thickness and the weight which is sorted with this version.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/may14/05-20surfacepr.aspx

AlmightyCushion

It's very interesting alright. Can't wait to see one in the flesh and have a play of it.

Overheal

I have a 2 year accidental plan on a Pro 1 which gets its first birthday in August. I'm set for a while. If it breaks I'll probably end up with a Pro refurb or Pro 2 replacement, depends on the plan and the whim of the pencil pushers.

Dman001

The Verge have their review up on the Pro 3, and gave it a very positive rating. Very tempted to get one, the hardware looks great. Just don't know how productive you could be with that keyboard. Looks extremely plasticky and tacky!

evolutionqy7

Dman001 wrote: »

The Verge have their review up on the Pro 3, and gave it a very positive rating. Very tempted to get one, the hardware looks great. Just don't know how productive you could be with that keyboard. Looks extremely plasticky and tacky!

As far as I tried one so far, they are good. For such a small and thin package.
I still use a Logitech wireless one with my surface pro at home.

Dman001

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

As far as I tried one so far, they are good. For such a small and thin package.
I still use a Logitech wireless one with my surface pro at home.

Hmmm I see Engadget's review highlights my concern - their main grief was with the keyboard. While it is easy enough to buy a different and better third party keyboard, it somewhat takes away from its portability.

pleasant Co.

Will be keeping tabs on this one for sure, might end up being too expensive over here but otherwise it seems to have a very limited cons list

Dman001

pleasant Co. wrote: »

Will be keeping tabs on this one for sure, might end up being too expensive over here but otherwise it seems to have a very limited cons list

Irish prices are up on their website here:

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/mseea/en_IE/pdp/productID.300223100

But it doesn't ship here until the end of August.

evolutionqy7

Dman001 wrote: »

Irish prices are up on their website here:

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/mseea/en_IE/pdp/productID.300223100

But it doesn't ship here until the end of August.

As usual with the shipping delay here.

mark_m360

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

As usual with the shipping delay here.

The shipping delay is for every country other than USA or Canada.

Wollwead

Any good deals going on the surface Pro 2?

I know there was some pretty good deals going on the 1st gen when the Pro 2 arrived at first. Also do all the Pro models come with Office?

mark_m360

Wollwead wrote: »

Any good deals going on the surface Pro 2?

I know there was some pretty good deals going on the 1st gen when the Pro 2 arrived at first. Also do all the Pro models come with Office?

No pro models come with Office I'm afraid.

And I doubt there will be any good deals on the pro 2 until the pro 3 is released in August. Give or take a month after release and the prices will drop, similar to the pro 1 v pro 2.

Francie Barrett

I have to say that it looks like the best attempt a manufacturer has made in combining a laptop and a tablet. Most importantly, they've ditched the mess that was Windows RT and are offering something that can be a fully featured Windows 8 machine. At least this should set them apart from the market.

The big question here though, is whether the market will go for this. Compared to Android it's ridiculously more expensive, and again even more expensive than an Ipad. Of course, those devices are ARM-based and run OS's that are much more limited. However, has the market moved on? I am not convinced that consumers are still compelled to own an x86 device running a traditional OS like Windows/Linux/MacOS.

bidiots

If they threw in the keyboard and pen for free rather than the outrageous cost, then this would bring windows 8 to the masses..... it would be a no brainer.

evolutionqy7

bidiots wrote: »

If they threw in the keyboard and pen for free rather than the outrageous cost, then this would bring windows 8 to the masses..... it would be a no brainer.

Everybody wants everything for free.
If you make a premium product price it accordingly. This ain't the nexus line.
The pen does actually come bundled.

I'd agree with pricing the RT line lower because it doesn't carry the same productivity and features, but for the pro model it seems to be on the money.

AlmightyCushion

bidiots wrote: »

If they threw in the keyboard and pen for free rather than the outrageous cost, then this would bring windows 8 to the masses..... it would be a no brainer.

If they bundled it in it would be more expensive and people would be asking for it to be available separately and cheaper. They should offer a bundle at a slightly reduced price for people buying them together.

evolutionqy7

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

If they bundled it in it would be more expensive and people would be asking for it to be available separately and cheaper. They should offer a bundle at a slightly reduced price for people buying them together.

Did they not offer the black touch cover and surface bundled together at a 30 quid discount or so?

AlmightyCushion

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

Did they not offer the black touch cover and surface bundled together at a 30 quid discount or so?

They did for the surface rt, don't know about any of the others though. The problem is it was only the black touch cover, want a different colour or the type case, tough luck. It'd be fairly easy to set up an offer where you get a €XX reduction when you buy a cover with a surface as opposed to releasing more SKUs with bundled cases. Easier for customers and retailers.

bidiots

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

If they bundled it in it would be more expensive and people would be asking for it to be available separately and cheaper. They should offer a bundle at a slightly reduced price for people buying them together.

Which is why I said they should bundle it for free, take the hit on the cost

AlmightyCushion

bidiots wrote: »

Which is why I said they should bundle it for free, take the hit on the cost

That still wouldn't change anything. If the cover costs them 50 quid people who don't want the cover would just grumble that they're paying for something they don't need or want. So that if they remove the cover they could sell it for 50 quid cheaper.

bidiots

No, you don't but the surface for its tablet uses, there are too many cheaper,lighter options available. You buy the surface as a laptop,that can be used just as effectively as a tablet,therefore they should be bundled.

AlmightyCushion

bidiots wrote: »

No, you don't but the surface for its tablet uses, there are too many cheaper,lighter options available. You buy the surface as a laptop,that can be used just as effectively as a tablet,therefore they should be bundled.

The surface has many USPs over other tablets. Multitasking on windows 8 is vastly superior to any other tablet OS. The ability to use legacy windows applications and do things like connect to a domain network and any peripheral or device that works with windows. For drawing it's far better than any other tablet (galaxy note comes closest).

I've actually sold plenty of surfaces (surfii? ) and there are lots of people who want/buy a surface but don't want the covers.

bidiots

Surfii?
That's why I think it should all be bundled, no one will turn it down, everyone will use it. It should be seen as a part, just like a keyboard on a laptop. People don't complain about laptop keyboards been bundled:)
Apple-esque imo

pleasant Co.

See no reason for it to be anything other than an optional accessory at this point in time.

Overheal

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

The surface has many USPs over other tablets. Multitasking on windows 8 is vastly superior to any other tablet OS. The ability to use legacy windows applications and do things like connect to a domain network and any peripheral or device that works with windows. For drawing it's far better than any other tablet (galaxy note comes closest).

I've actually sold plenty of surfaces (surfii? ) and there are lots of people who want/buy a surface but don't want the covers.

Same. A few for the connections that have worked in network management, a few who want to draw, plenty more who wanted a tablet that could be used for more than one thing at a time without being weird and awkward about it.

Myself I use it for the pen. That golden, golden pen, to do math and science notes with.

Chance The Rapper

Pity this is so expensive. It really looks unreal, I'll have to save up, but it's on the wishlist.

The aspect reason is interesting, how will it handle movies?

_Kaiser_

Almost €1600 for a i7/256 model?? That's insanity!

No matter how much they try to push it, tablets are companion devices not replacements. Sure you can add keyboards, mice, docking stations and monitors but who wants to carry around a bag of cables and peripherals? You might as well just get an Ultrabook (or something like the XPS 12 if you REALLY want tablet functions)

I have an XPS 12 myself and I very rarely use the tablet mode. Why? Because once you delve any deeper than the surface (no pun intended!) you're back to an interface that is intended for mouse/keyboard so it's easier/faster to switch it back into laptop mode. Apps and such are toys for the most part and while I like toys, I could buy an excellent <€300 tablet for that.

We tested the Surface Pro 2 as a possible desktop/laptop replacement in one of our offices and the feedback was the same - heavy, small and awkward (with all the accessories needed). Plus the non user serviceable issue was a big concern and the point that these are consumer/consumption devices not Enterprise systems - hence the lack of decent warranty options and the aforementioned non-serviceable (or upgradable!) part.

Tablets have their place, but not as a substitute for a decent laptop when it comes to getting actual work done.

Chance The Rapper

I could see this being a very good system for college though. You've a good keyboard for all typing needed, and then for drawing/ note taking with a pen you have the surface pen. For movies, music etc you've no keyboard annoying you.

Fingleberries

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

Almost €1600 for a i7/256 model?? That's insanity!

Similar spec MacBook Air (the market they are aiming at with this) is €1400. When you're aiming at this end of the market, what's a couple of hundred Euro between friends, eh?

If you buy the Type cover with it, it has a fully functional track pad and of course keyboard (or you could always use a USB mouse)

MJohnston

I got the i5/8GB RAM version back in July and I absolutely love it. Battery life is superb, the thing is so freaking light and easily portable too considering whats inside. The new Type Cover is great, I got the cyan one which gets a bit dirty, but the backlight is really handy and it's pretty good to type on, the little magnetic lip that sticks to the screen is really handy. The new kickstand is a revelation in a way, you don't get the exact same "lapability" (sorry, but it's a useful term) as a laptop, but it's pretty damn close. The only two seating positions it won't quite work for are cross legged (which I don't do) or with a perfect posture type position.

There are two things with it that make it very much stand out against any kind of hardware though, and that's performance and screen quality. The screen is just stunning, bright, perfectly lit, clear and sharp - the HiDPI mode makes photos look lovely. Performance, with the i5/8GB at least, is wonderful, I mean it's not just "ultraportable" wonderful, it's just generally great. It can run Photoshop and process RAW photos without breaking a sweat, at the same time as having Firefox and say Spotify open too, I could run Illustrator and use the pen (which is good, probably an improvement over the Pro 1's pen) to be mocking up vectors or whatever. And, best of all, I've been able to use it to play Titanfall, Arkham Origins, and Xcom Enemy Unknown, with basic settings and it is more than playable. Was able to just pop my Xbox One controller in via USB too and use it to play with.

All said, if you are looking to buy a PC laptop or tablet, or transformable, I would highly recommend you check the Pro 3 out, because it's easily the best portable device you can buy imo. If you're looking to buy a Macbook, I would also recommend checking it out too, because it's got their fantastic build quality and some more benefits.

Chance The Rapper

I'm torn at the moment. I can get a MacBook air 2014 model for €800 at the moment, 4gb and 128GB, or wait for the i5 8gb ram Surface for €1200.

What would you do?

evolutionqy7

Chance The Rapper wrote:

I'm torn at the moment. I can get a MacBook air 2014 model for €800 at the moment, 4gb and 128GB, or wait for the i5 8gb ram Surface for €1200.

Chance The Rapper wrote:

What would you do?

depends what you want to do

Chance The Rapper

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

depends what you want to do

I'm not really sure. I don't see myself loving Windows 8. However if the surface pen was as good as advertised then I'd be making good use of one note. The main things I'll be doing are programming and note taking

MJohnston

Chance The Rapper wrote: »

I'm not really sure. I don't see myself loving Windows 8. However if the surface pen was as good as advertised then I'd be making good use of one note. The main things I'll be doing are programming and note taking

What reservations do you have about Windows 8? Windows 8.1 is a big improvement upon the 8.0 release, and it's pretty much perfect for touch devices like the Surface Pro. It's a good note taking device because you can just click the top of the pen no matter whether the device is in standby or awake and it'll immediately open OneNote on a blank note page - really handy.

For programming, it's going to work fine, you aren't going to be able to run XCode on there thanks to Apple restricting that to OSX only, but everything else will work fine. Arguably better than a Macbook Air because you've got a much higher resolution on the SP3, which means more room for extra PuTTY windows

Also, on a specs comparison, you get 256Gb of hard drive space with the i5 8GB Surface. And if note-taking and programming is all you're using it for, I think you could probably get the i3 or i5/128Gb model instead, which are cheaper.

Dman001

Don't suppose they are any stores in Ireland with the SP3 on display yet? Was sold on getting a Retina MacBook but came across videos of the SP again, and having second thoughts.

PaulieC

AFAIK it's not officially on sale until the 20th

WarKitteh

Chance The Rapper wrote: »

I'm torn at the moment. I can get a MacBook air 2014 model for €800 at the moment, 4gb and 128GB, or wait for the i5 8gb ram Surface for €1200.

What would you do?

Surface without a doubt is the superior option.

TBi

WarKitteh wrote: »

Surface without a doubt is the superior option.

Compared to an Air yes, compared to a Retina then it's a close tie unless you need it to be a tablet.

madmoe

PaulieC wrote: »

AFAIK it's not officially on sale until the 20th

On sale from the 28th so roll on Thursday ;-) I'm hoping PC World in Jervis will have them to play with! According to their brochure they are giving €100 cash back on them so they seem to be even better priced then buying directly from Microsoft!!

Cheers,
M

madmoe

madmoe wrote: »

On sale from the 28th so roll on Thursday ;-) I'm hoping PC World in Jervis will have them to play with! According to their brochure they are giving €100 cash back on them so they seem to be even better priced then buying directly from Microsoft!!

Cheers,
M

Here we are.....

Meesared

I've played with one, if anyone has any questions regarding it?

AlmightyCushion

madmoe wrote: »

Here we are.....

That second i5 surface is wrong. It's meant to be 256GB storage.

madmoe

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

That second i5 surface is wrong. It's meant to be 256GB storage.

Well spotted!!

PaulieC

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

That second i5 surface is wrong. It's meant to be 256GB storage.

there are 2 i5 versions, one with 128 and the other with 256. That price would indicate the former as the latter is 1329 in the online Microsoft store.

AlmightyCushion

PaulieC wrote: »

there are 2 i5 versions, one with 128 and the other with 256. That price would indicate the former as the latter is 1329 in the online Microsoft store.

There are two on that image posted. Both say 128GB with the only difference being the RAM.

PaulieC

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

There are two on that image posted. Both say 128GB with the only difference being the RAM.

you're right, I didn't see that. Their website has incorrect listings also, listing a 10.6" screen

ablelocks

there have been some reports of price cuts today in the US so hopefully they'll be extended to here as well

if you "qualify" as a student you can get a reduction from the irish microsoft store too (can't rem. the prices tho')

I'm hoping to get one from the USA in the next few weeks - apart from power adaptor, there should be no issue with that should there?

AlmightyCushion

ablelocks wrote: »

there have been some reports of price cuts today in the US so hopefully they'll be extended to here as well

if you "qualify" as a student you can get a reduction from the irish microsoft store too (can't rem. the prices tho')

I'm hoping to get one from the USA in the next few weeks - apart from power adaptor, there should be no issue with that should there?

You'll just need a bog standard travel adapter for it, that's it. You might want to see what happens with the warranty or how people who bought a US model and brought it back to the EU fared when something went wrong. I doubt it would be a problem and Microsoft Ireland would still take care of it but you can never be too sure. It'd suck if something went wrong and it had to be sent back to the US because only Microsoft US will take care of it.

PaulieC

I just checked with MS support and the warranty is worldwide. You can also pick up a power adaptor here, but it'll set you back 75 quid :eek:

AlmightyCushion

PaulieC wrote: »

I just checked with MS support and the warranty is worldwide. You can also pick up a power adaptor here, but it'll set you back 75 quid :eek:

You don't need a new power adapter, a travel adapter will do it fine.

PaulieC

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

You don't need a new power adapter, a travel adapter will do it fine.

you don't need one, but they are available...