Surface Pro 3
Microsoft announced a new Surface Pro 3 today. It's got a 12" screen, is thinner and lighter than the Surface Pro 2. Has a much better kickstand and a new pen.
Configurations/Pricing
i3-4GB RAM- 64GB - $799
i5-4GB RAM-128GB - $999
i5-8GB RAM-256GB - $1299
i7-8GB RAM-256GB - $1549
i7-8GB RAM-512GB - $1949
Lower end units available beginning June 20; higher end units available on August 31.
Edit: The Surface Pro 3 is lighter than the Surface Pro 2.
Comments
Very Pricey. ... Way out of my league.
But cheaper than buying both a laptop and a tablet - which is what the Surface Pro 3 just might replace.
This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!
I've had my laptop for a couple years now. It has a 280gb HDD.
The new Surface Pro 3 is going to replace both my laptop and my original iPad. That old ipad just doesn't cut it anymore.
I'll most likely bite the bullet and go for the i7 256gb Pro 3. Means I'll have to wait until fall. But that also means I can go get my Windows Phone.
This is interesting. Nice to see it finally maturing. I'm an Apple guy, but I may need to take a serious look at this.
Has anyone used the previous Surface Pros for Logos? I'd be interesting in seeing how well using Logos alongside Onenote on the Surface Pro works.
Anyone with any experience with that?
You can pre-order now at the Surface website.
Please continue to keep us updated. I have no doubt the hardware is more than adequate. I will still be interested in your review on that aspect. I am more interested in the platform/functionality. After you use it for a bit, Please comment on the size. Does it fill the bill as a truly portable tablet? Is it stable as a laptop, or does it seem top heavy? In short, the usability, and Wow factors.
Thanks again. ... Enjoy!
I sprang for a SP3 i5/8GB RAM/256GB SSD.
I like the new digitizer better than the one on the previous models. It is more accurate, and the cursor doesn't wander at the edges of the screen.
If you do something processor heavy, like index your Logos library, the SP3 will heat up. But here's the thing: because of the fully adjustable kickstand, I hardly ever feel the heat. If I am just doing normal stuff like browsing through my Logos library and reading, highlighting, etc., there is no noticeable heat. When I have the tablet propped up on my lap using the kickstand, even if the SP3 was warm or hot, I wouldn't interact with those areas.
The screen is beautiful. Some have complained that Microsoft has throttled the CPU of the i5/i7 units under load because of the high thermals, but I haven't run into much throttling that affects performance when I need it.
For just plain note-taking, I love OneNote. To me, it's the killer app for the SP line of tablets.
Hi, Bill;
Good to hear from you. I am looking forward to your input. I know the little Asus vivo and the SP3 are like apples and oranges. ...but would you detail the transition? Do you find the SP3 cumbersome. Do you find it unstable/top heavy? Have you totally abandoned the Asus? Or is there still a niche for it? I am still content with the combination of the Venue for a pocket rocket, and the Lenovo x220t convertible. (i7, 160 SSD, 8GB Ram,12.5" screen, but 3.5 lbs) I bought that a couple years ago and the form factor is too similar to the SP3 to allow me to claim it has depreciated to the point I need to replace it. I find myself "needing" both the Dell and the Lenovo. I am intrigued by the stats of the SP3. However, I hope to have the luxury of others' real world application and reviews while I get my money's worth out of the current machine. I thank you in advance for sharing your experience and guidance. ... God Bless.
I appricate SP3 from what I have read up to now,but I would like to wait for SP4 for better improvement.
With the new Broadwell-Y chips being able to go fanless we may finally be seeing some Windows tablet hybrids which really live up to the vision promised at the Windows 8 launch. Considering that Windows 9 is coming out early in 2015, that Apple will be introducing thinner and lighter MacBooks and there will be a 12.9 iPad Air introduced about the same time, it would seem to me that unless your current computer or tablet has died the wisest thing to do is wait. Another good reason to wait is to see how the 64-bit Logos impacts Mac performance, up until now the main reason I have stayed with Windows is Logos. In addition, Apple's vision of having laptops and tablets working together, rather than the MS vision of everything in on device, might prove to be more practical in the real world, by January or February of next year I think we will have a pretty good idea of how the new Apple OS's work out. Just another reason to wait and see before investing a lot of cash into a product you may regret purchasing.
Possibly I just have not fully evolved. There are times the tablet just "won't do" without a keyboard and mouse >>> For me.
Yes, that is true for most users (which is why takeup of these types of devices has been slow). But the Surface Pro does have a detachable keyboard, and significantly it seems to have improved it's trackpad to be as good as most laptops. And unlike standalone tablets, you can plug a mouse in if you wish.
http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/20/5734866/surface-pro-3-hands-on-photos-impressions
This is my personal Faithlife account. On 1 March 2022, I started working for Faithlife, and have a new 'official' user account. Posts on this account shouldn't be taken as official Faithlife views!
Very Pricey. ... Way out of my league. Makes the Dell look even better.
For me, the Surface Pro 2 was a bargain. It replaced my lap top, which needed replacing, my iPad tablet, and my desktop. Best tool for ministry I have ever bought. Runs full Logos 5, Microsoft Word, One Note all great at the same time. Logos 5 has never been faster and better for me to use.
The Surface Pro 3 looks even better. Of course, I cannot buy a new computer every year, but my Surface Pro 2 does plenty good enough.
The 12 inch screen on the Surface Pro 3 sounds very nice, and I suppose the i7 processor may be faster. But I really have no problem with the Surface Pro 2 screen - even with my poor eyesight. And i5 processor on the Surface Pro 2 runs Logos plenty fast enough for me. If fact, I had an i7 quad processor on my old laptop, and the Surface Pro 2 is faster than it was.
Maybe in four years or so, I will getting a Surface Pro 5 or 6, but for the foreseeable future the Surface Pro 2 is my computer.
(I think this would be a great time to pick up a bargain on a Surface Pro 2, if you wanted one.)
"In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church," John Wesley
I wish you hadn't told me this, I only bought a Surface Pro 2 this last week! Up to now I have found it to be a beautiful, well thought out piece of kit. It is so much faster than the previous lap top, Ipad and desk top that it has replaced. None of those computers were slouches in their spec but I think the SSD is a real game changer if you are using Logos. I have a large screen that I can use if I want the space to work and now also can use the "full fat" Logos programme on my travels.
I really didn't think there was much they could improve on but if as you say it is thinner and lighter that can't be bad. As for the screen size if it is much bigger than the present Pro 2 I think it loses the idea of being a mobile tablet.
Anyway thanks Bill for the heads up.
Tony Keating
Bill Anderson: "...and a new pen"
Unfortunately L5 won't accept handwriting input in Notes from Windows 8.1, see http://community.logos.com/forums/p/76689/536819.aspx#536819
Bill Anderson: "...and a new pen"
Unfortunately L5 won't accept handwriting input in Notes from Windows 8.1, see http://community.logos.com/forums/p/76689/536819.aspx#536819
Yes, and Logos is neither pen or touch optimized. The controls require a precise pointing instrument. We'll see how precise the SP3's N-Trig pen is for that.
I went in to Best Buy today and they had the SP3 displayed. It is beautifully engineered and made. Top notch. The type cover and trackpad are better, the screen is beautiful and the pen works well for what I will be using it for. It runs a little warm in the lower right hand corner, but if you back the screen brightness down to 60-70%, it cools off. It's not hot by any stretch of the imagination, but I like my tablets cool.[:D] They had the i5, 4GB RAM/128GB SSD and everything ran fast. I wish they offered an i5/8GB RAM/128GB SSD option, though.
At least We Can use the pen input here on the forums. Truthfully, I find it is only practical for to do or grocery lists. I'm sure the technology will evolve.
Then you have never tried it in OneNote, which I find much better than Logos notes.
"In all cases, the Church is to be judged by the Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church," John Wesley
I purchases a Surface Pro 3. I purchased the i5-8GB-256GB version. I have had it for several months now.
Logos.
Wow. I don't know what to say. It runs Logos as smoothly as any desktop or laptop. I finally have ditched the Logos mobile versions and now I use this. EVERYTHING at my fingertips while in Sunday School or the preacher teaches. Quick, responsive. I have had no problems, no complaints and I love that all my files are automatically synced.
Before this I had an iPad and used my phone....I can never go back now.
OneNote
If you like Onenote you will love it with the Surface pen. I no longer carry paper with me because I just write on my Surface Pro which is about the size of legal pad of paper anyway.
Microsoft billed this as the tablet that replaces your laptop. I know Surface 4 will be better, but they are really being truthful on this one. I have even gone on trips and left my laptop at home and just taken my Surface. I did not miss my laptop.
Now, I have one caveat to all this. You have to watch the battery. I take my son to church early and let him watch youtube videos. When I do after about 1 1/2 hours the battery can be down as far as 60% if I have the sound and screen light up high.
Interesting that there are rumors of a 12 inch MacBook Air or iPad Air in the works. Seems like both MS and Apple have decided that 12 inches is the sweet spot for an transitional device between a pure tablet and a pure laptop.