Contrary to industry expectations Microsoft did not reveal a small tablet at its 20 May "small gathering"-- it instead announced the Surface Pro 3, a device large enough to be more laptop than tablet.
In fact the Surface Pro 3 is 12-inch device, up from the 10.6-inch of the previous model, with a 2160 x 1440 ClearType display. It is also relatively slim (7.6mm) and light (800g), at least when compared with ultralight laptops. Such comparisons are apt, since Microsoft itself describes the device as a "revolutionary laptop" (not "iPad killer") when paired with the companion Type Cover keyboard/cover.
Microsoft also offers a desktop dock accessory for use with full-on PC peripherals.
“Tablets are designed for you to sit back and watch movies, read books, browse the web, snacking on apps,” Microsoft says. “Laptops are not designed that way at all… They’re designed for editing, they’re designed for making. There’s a design point, and they’re made that way for a reason.”
Adding further laptop comparisons is the tablet's running on 4th generation Intel Core processors and Windows 8.1 Professional, meaning it handles regular desktop apps. Connectivity comes through full-size USB 3.0 port and Mini DisplayPort, while a microSD card slot allows for expandable storage.
Other interesting additions include a "continuous" kickstand (allows the tablet to stand from 0- to up to 150-degrees) and Bluetooth stylus support via N-trig digitiser.
Is Microsoft dropping its interest in tablets in favour of, well, laptops? We will know more once the Surface Pro 3 ships on June 2014 in multiple processor (i3, i5, i7) and storage (from 46 to 512GB with either 4 or 8GB RAM) configurations.
