[h=1]Microsoft announces the Surface Pro 3[/h] May 24, 2014 G.Kishore
Microsoft’s Surface line of tablets is the culmination of Microsoft’s goal for Tablets and Laptops to become one. One Device. One Device to look. One device for Play. One Device to Work. One Less Device to Carry.
Well, that’s the goal, but Microsoft hasn’t actually reached that goal. It’s Surface tablets, are currently just… rough prototypes, rough drawings, working towards realizing that goal.
They have been plagued with low battery life, sometimes laggy performance and also heavy, bulky and unattractive designs that stop them from realizing their goal.
Microsoft knows that these issues exist. Microsoft knows that it needs to fix them. So Microsoft has gone back to the drawing board and has unveiled a completely redesigned, a completely reimagined Surface, now in it’s third iteration.
First off, it looks like Microsoft has carefully listened to the ‘bulky’ complaints. It has completely changed the design of the Surface and now…it actually looks attractive.
The thickness has been brought down to a slim 9.1mm, a massive improvement over the earlier version. It still may not be as thin as the iPad Air, but it still is pretty damn thin and when you consider the amount of firepower packed inside, it is a bit unbelievable that Microsoft has managed to pack all of it in a package THAT thin.
The weight also has reduced considerably (scratch that, it has been reduced a LOT) . At 800 Grams, you can actually hold it in one hand (But you will be tired soon, you would have to use two hands). One hand was unimaginable with the earlier version, so this is a huge improvement.
The screen size is now 12 inches (Before it was 10.6 inches), much closer to that of a laptop. The downside is that it makes it a bit less portable than before. The screen’s resolution is HD and the aspect ratio is a bit unusual 3:2 (Usually it is either 16:9 or 4:3)
Underneath, unlike the measly ARM processors found in almost all other smartphones and tablets, there is a much more powerful Intel Haswell Processor that obliterates the ARM kind. More specifically, there is an i7 processor of Intel’s latest architecture, which also means that this thing has the potential to offer amazing battery life, without sacrificing performance. This is because the Intel Haswell Core is extremely power efficient. But if you don’r require that much power, there are also Intel i3 and Intel i5 versions available.
It is not only the Surface tha has received the update: It’s Type Cover has got it too. It can now rotate to a full 150 degree angle and is also more dynamic, meaning it adjusts to the way it is set on your lap so that there is less possibility of it falling.
The Touch Cover is now magnetically attached to the screen, making it a lot more…sturdy.
It also has got a Pen (The Digital Kind), which now has a place to reside in the new Type Covers. Microsoft has replaced Wacom’s Digitizer with N-Trig’s.
One click on the top of the Pen opens the OneNote app on the Surface. This works even when it is off. Also, if you click again, you can initiate the cloud note-syncing process.
Adobe has said that a touch friendly version of Photoshop, called Photoshop CC and with power on par with it’s Desktop counterpart, will arrive to the Surface later. Adobe had shown a demo version of it at Microsoft’s event in New York.
The Surface Pro i3 version starts at $799, the i5 variant starts at $999 and finally, the i7 variant starts at $1549.
A thin and light tablet, which can turn into a fully featured Laptop Powerhouse at will. We are approaching full convergence, full force ahead.
Microsoft’s Surface line of tablets is the culmination of Microsoft’s goal for Tablets and Laptops to become one. One Device. One Device to look. One device for Play. One Device to Work. One Less Device to Carry.
Well, that’s the goal, but Microsoft hasn’t actually reached that goal. It’s Surface tablets, are currently just… rough prototypes, rough drawings, working towards realizing that goal.
They have been plagued with low battery life, sometimes laggy performance and also heavy, bulky and unattractive designs that stop them from realizing their goal.
Microsoft knows that these issues exist. Microsoft knows that it needs to fix them. So Microsoft has gone back to the drawing board and has unveiled a completely redesigned, a completely reimagined Surface, now in it’s third iteration.
First off, it looks like Microsoft has carefully listened to the ‘bulky’ complaints. It has completely changed the design of the Surface and now…it actually looks attractive.
The thickness has been brought down to a slim 9.1mm, a massive improvement over the earlier version. It still may not be as thin as the iPad Air, but it still is pretty damn thin and when you consider the amount of firepower packed inside, it is a bit unbelievable that Microsoft has managed to pack all of it in a package THAT thin.
The weight also has reduced considerably (scratch that, it has been reduced a LOT) . At 800 Grams, you can actually hold it in one hand (But you will be tired soon, you would have to use two hands). One hand was unimaginable with the earlier version, so this is a huge improvement.
The screen size is now 12 inches (Before it was 10.6 inches), much closer to that of a laptop. The downside is that it makes it a bit less portable than before. The screen’s resolution is HD and the aspect ratio is a bit unusual 3:2 (Usually it is either 16:9 or 4:3)
Underneath, unlike the measly ARM processors found in almost all other smartphones and tablets, there is a much more powerful Intel Haswell Processor that obliterates the ARM kind. More specifically, there is an i7 processor of Intel’s latest architecture, which also means that this thing has the potential to offer amazing battery life, without sacrificing performance. This is because the Intel Haswell Core is extremely power efficient. But if you don’r require that much power, there are also Intel i3 and Intel i5 versions available.
It is not only the Surface tha has received the update: It’s Type Cover has got it too. It can now rotate to a full 150 degree angle and is also more dynamic, meaning it adjusts to the way it is set on your lap so that there is less possibility of it falling.
The Touch Cover is now magnetically attached to the screen, making it a lot more…sturdy.
It also has got a Pen (The Digital Kind), which now has a place to reside in the new Type Covers. Microsoft has replaced Wacom’s Digitizer with N-Trig’s.
One click on the top of the Pen opens the OneNote app on the Surface. This works even when it is off. Also, if you click again, you can initiate the cloud note-syncing process.
Adobe has said that a touch friendly version of Photoshop, called Photoshop CC and with power on par with it’s Desktop counterpart, will arrive to the Surface later. Adobe had shown a demo version of it at Microsoft’s event in New York.
The Surface Pro i3 version starts at $799, the i5 variant starts at $999 and finally, the i7 variant starts at $1549.
A thin and light tablet, which can turn into a fully featured Laptop Powerhouse at will. We are approaching full convergence, full force ahead.
