"With a 12in display, Surface Pro 3 has the power of a laptop in a lightweight, versatile form."
Microsoft's message is loud and clear: your next PC needn't be an ordinary laptop, the new-and-improved Surface Pro 3 can do it all. And perusing the specification sheet suggests that the company may have a point.
The highlights include a 12in touchscreen with a 3:2 aspect ratio and 2,160x1,440 resolution, up to 512GB of flash storage, up to 8GB of RAM, Wireless AC connectivity, USB 3.0, a choice of Core i3, Core i5 or Core i7 processors, full-fat Windows 8.1, a handy-looking pen, a multi-position kickstand and the promise of up to nine hours battery life. Phew, all that, yet it's both thinner and lighter than the Surface Pro 2.
These premium ingredients make the Surface Pro 3 an intriguing proposition, but one that's unlike practically every other tablet on the market today. A starting price of £639 intimates that this isn't a mainstream device, and instead of taking on the hugely-popular iPad or cannibalising sales of affordable PCs, Microsoft is positioning the Surface Pro 3 as an alternative to premium devices such as the MacBook Air.
We'll need some hands-on time in order to determine whether or not this do-it-all tablet can truly replace a high-end Ultrabook, but in the meantime lets canvas some opinion by asking you, the readers: will you be buying Microsoft's Surface Pro 3? As always, share your thoughts using the comments facility below.
