As the saying goes, third time's the charm. This is at least what Microsoft is hoping for in terms of market success with the latest and third Surface model. Microsoft's third attempt at a Windows 8 tablet seems to be the one that got the most right, but we will have to wait and see how the market responds to it and if it isn't too late for Microsoft to capture a large tablet audience.
The Surface Pro 3 is already available for pre-order at Microsoft's online store and some retailers such as Best Buy. It should be available this Summer, with shipping starting on August 31. However, different models will ship at different times. The Surface will start at $799 and go up depending on user configurations.
We previously discussed some of its specs and what ways Microsoft has improved the latest model - such as making the display 12" and making it both thinner and lighter. However, reviews are already starting to come in and they are quite positive, although most of them call it a hybrid much more than a pure tablet in the iPad sense.
The Verge, review link, 8/10: "The Surface Pro 3 is indeed a futuristic machine, a marvel of engineering that combines tons of crazy features into a thin and light package... The Surface Pro 3 does a better job of cramming a full-powered computer into a touchscreen tablet than anything ever has before. But can it convince consumers that it's really "the tablet that replaces your laptop?... By tablet standards, it's a massive machine, with a gigantic 12-inch screen that weighs in at a relatively heavy 1.76 pounds. It's much lighter than most laptops, but definitely not in the same class as the iPad Air, which weighs only a pound...
"... It took three iterations for the hardware to live up to Microsoft's original vision for the Surface, but now it finally does. If you believe that Windows 8.1 hasn't taken off because the hardware hasn't been good enough, the Surface Pro 3 removes that argument from the table."
Yahoo Tech, review link, no score given: "The Surface concept is either brilliant or doomed: It's a tablet and a laptop in one. A hybrid. A convertible... When it's a tablet, it's something like an iPad. It has a beautiful touchscreen (now enlarged to 12 inches, a full laptop-screen size), nine-hour battery life, a finger-friendly interface, and an app store full of simple, full-screen apps. It's fantastic for tablet-y things like reading ebooks, watching movies, surfing the Web, and skimming through Twitter and email... When it's a laptop, though, it runs full-blown Windows. You know: the desktop, the taskbar, the Recycle Bin, overlapping windows, the works. It can run the 4 million Windows programs - full-blown software like Photoshop, Quicken, iTunes - that the iPad can only look at and drool."
Wired, review link, 7/10: "The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 can probably replace your laptop. The big question is: Are you willing to pay the price and make some compromises in order to let it?... If you're looking for the type of tablet experience you get from an iPad, do not buy it. The Surface Pro 3 is good, but it's a completely different animal. It's the type of device that makes sense in an office environment, a powerful grab-and-go machine fit for running to your next meeting or working on the train... Ultimately, whether you'd like the Surface Pro 3 to replace your laptop boils down to a value proposition. Is it worth paying a premium for an ultra-slim device that provides full Windows PC functionality? That is what this machine is."
CNN, review link, no score given: "For the uninitiated, the Surface Pro is a full-fledged PC masquerading as a tablet. Call it a laplet. Or maybe a tabtop? The Surface has several unique features, such as a kickstand, a pen, a gorgeous touchscreen and a super-thin keyboard that doubles as a cover... The kickstand now leans just about all the way back, allowing you to write on the screen comfortably or tilt it back to the perfect position when it's on your lap... While the Surface Pro 3 may be good enough to be your only laptop, it's not better than the iPad."
As readers can see, most of the reviews are quite positive regarding Microsoft's latest attempt at a laptop-tablet hybrid with the Surface Pro 3 model. However, most also understand it has limitations and trying to be two devices at once may be a hard sell for those who own both tablets and enterprise-grade laptops already. However, it certainly is an improvement in every way over previous Surface models.
