The Surface Pro 3 gets real as some specs and pricing are revealed

He said Surface. There is already Dell Venue Pro around that price, without the disaster that is called Android.

I'm a proud 1520 owner and i dont think there is anything wrong with Android. 

I have a Dell Venue 8 Pro and a Nexus 7 Android tablet. The Nexus 7 seems to spend its entire life being charged and the only thing I can do to stop it draining overnight is turn it off completely, which is a pain because it takes age to boot up again. The Venue 8 Pro boots up in seconds and holds its charge for days. The Nexus 7 grinds to a halt when it's doing stuff in the background (like updating apps) but the Venue 8 Pro is speedy all of the time. I like the Nexus 7 as a device... if it happens to have enough power when I want to use it. The Venue 8 Pro is just way more reliable and performs better.

Seriously I charge my nexus 7 (2013) like every 2 or 3 days not being used I can leave my dell on for like a week with just the screen off and still come back to somewhat usable battery. 

Yeah, same here.  We have a Nexus 7 and I'd find it completely dead more often than not.  My old Android phone was the same, they did not idle well.

The Dell Venue 8 pro was not made well.  lingering wifi issues, and miracast is ridiculously awful.

Surface tablets dont run Android.

Nodroid

This we know, and we are very happy. No Android here, terrible mess.

Never more! One year experience - not for normal human ... :(

Dream on.

This is $100 cheaper than the Surface Pro 2.

Yeah, the i3 model with 64GB of RAM. i3 is not the same as the i5 Surface Pro 2. Charging $800 for an i3 Surface Pro 2 is idiotic. It should be $700 with the  keyboard included. Microsoft needs to drop Surface entirely if this is the road they're going to take, pricing themselves out of the market. Microsoft should also be making things simpler, not more complicated. Instead of releasing 5 different versions of the Surface Pro 3, they should make only 3 Surface tablets period. A Mini, a Surface 3, and a single Surface Pro 3. They're only making it more difficult on themselves. They completely failed to meet demand this past holiday season becuase they didn't manufacture enough, and now they're trying to offer 5 different tablets with different specs and storage sizes? Considering these tablets haven't succeeded yet and they haven't figured out how to ship worldwide and meet demand, they should limit the number of models they offer.

I don't know if that is fair. I've seen only a few Windows Pro Tablets (i3) with similar specs selling for around $700 w/out any covers or accessories. Selling a Surface Pro 2 (inarguably a far superior product in terms of build quality by comparison to those units selling that low) with similar specs and a touch or type cover for the same or less than that seems idiotic. Admittedly the other units have a larger screen but that isn't necessarily a positive (and in the ultrabook market the smaller devices can often be more expensive... it is tough to squeeze all that silicon, along with a reasonably large battery, in to a 10" full windows device).

Surface RT for $199 recently.  I love mine and use it everyday and I wish I could say that I waited and only spent that much.  But I have already gotten my money's worth out of it so I can't really complain.

Surface 1 RT is a great tablet. At 199 it's fantastic. Side by side with the iPad, which we just did all weekend I honestly can't figure out why people still buy iPads. Overpriced, no multitasking and the OS is a mess. Having said that the SPro3 is going to be EPIC! 

I agree. We actually just bought one last week. My wife loves it! It does everything she needs it to, and we now have a second W8 computer/tablet at a very affordable price. 

Where do you buy for 199?

eBay.  They have the refurbished models from Microsoft there for around 199. 

If you hit a Microsoft store grand opening, you can pick a new 32gb up for $199.

Rather than LTE, I hope they have a removable battery, ideally hot-swapable; if it has a removable battery I would be getting the i7 1.5k model, but with a sealed design as the previous Pro models, there is no way I would invest that much, and be screwed in several years when the battery starts dying and there is no way to replace it without extensive and expensive repair service. Same goes for use of the tablet in a business environment, wthout a swapable battery it's nothing more than a consumer product.    

unless you are incapable of following youtube tuitorial, nothing is unfixable unless it is soldered.

Surface is virtually unfixable. Surface Pro got a 1 out of 10 by iFixIt for repairability (iPads are around 2 I think). Almost everything is glued together. If something breaks, you WILL HAVE TO take it back and even then Microsoft just replaces the device, and even they won't attempt to fix it (that's what I was told when I replaced my Surface RT because it had the "phantom touch" problem).

I'll argue that being soldered doesn't make it unfixable.

Too expensive... With that I can buy a ultrabook with NVIDIA graphics, i7, +8gb ram and ssd
Yeah no touch screen but for me is not deal breaker

So... Basically you can buy a surface pro 3?

The ultra book he's describing can be had for several hundred dollars cheaper than the lowest capacity Surface Pro.

Cool, where can I find one? I've been looking for such a laptop, and if it's a few hundred dollars cheaper than $799 I am in!

Alienware and Asus, amongst others, regularly have deals on refurbs or older models (never used). Also, Newegg discounts older gaming laptops via its official website and its Ebay channel. The deals are definitely out there, if you're willing to shop around!

On that note, where can I find one of these for under $400. Since were considering returns and older models, can get a surface pro original with 128gb for $400 or even less.

If you can find that capacity Surface Pro for under $400, then there's no viable ultra book that can compete with it. 

I got my Surface Pro 128 GB on ebay last week for $450 with free shipping. Came with a touch keyboard, a micro 64 GB memory card, 2 vga adapters, 1 hdmi adapter, 2 power cords, wedge mouse, and stylus. Absolutely nothing wrong with it. Not even a scratch on it. Im just trying to get use to it after using an RT for the last month. Wish the surface pro wasnt as heavy/thick compared to the RT, but seeing I needed a replacement for a dying laptop, I really cannot complain.

Wow, that's an insanely good deal!!

I bought a surface pro from best buy for $500, it was brand new. I'm sure those first Gen devices will drop even more in price now that #3 will be out soon.

I got same thing 128gb at bestbuy couple of months ago, its a beast for $499 brand new. microsoft store ran same deal few weeks later.

Key words..... Older & refurbished.... Good luck to you guys. Everyone in this forum always complain about build quality of the current offerings windows has as opposed to Apple, yet when Microsoft takes matters into their own hands and produces quality devices compared to other OEM's, all of a sudden, it's too pricey even though the build quality and specs are both there. Seems like a bunch of Jr John Kerry 's ( flip floppers). Sorry, but if the surface line fails, it will be the so called supporters fault as we called for quality/specs & when MS obliges, we run to the same OEM's we previously complained. Talk about fair weather fans!!!

I'm not a fanboy of this shit. I buy the product that is best made at the best price for my wallet. Period. As a consumer in the market for a Surface tablet, I'm allowed to praise what I like and criticize what I don't like. If the Surface line fails, it's because they're not selling to the average consumer, whether or not the supporters buy each and every iteration that Microsoft makes.  As for your comment about older and refurbished models, it's good financial sense to buy an older or refurbished model, especially if you get a great deal, or you know that the older model is cheaper and would fit your needs perfectly. Why the hell do you care how other people spend their money?

He doesn't care about how you spend your money. He is pointing out the ridiculousness behind the complaints people have regarding the surface line of products. The principal of which is pricing. These units simply don't compare to anything that's out there if your consider their build quality, specs and probably most important, their form factor. These units should be selling like hotcakes if people who are claiming to want Apple quality products but on Windows would buy them. Look at how limited the competitions OS is and people don't bitch about the price. If they do, they are buying Android. Microsoft has the luxury of choosing to be in the middle, but they opt for higher end. Frankly, that's what you're getting. A surface is much more practical, durable, and portable than any of its roughly equivalent competitors. People forget this is a PC tablet (except ARM/RT which does come close in functionality if comparing W8 Apps). Surface is for average consumer they just haven't figured out how to make PC people spend frivolously on PC components and gadgets the way Apple product fans do, or crappy Dre Beats. PC users just don't do that as we're use to demanding lower prices for everything lest we build it our selves and that's the problem with surface. PC users are precisely the people they need to ditch and go after those that spend.

Fair enough, brother.

Raywp7, You my man are more elequent in delivery of similar response thought I have in mind. so, I say thanks for sharing my thought.

For me, it's not even a decision. I don't have an $800 line item in my budget for a tablet.  I didn't "go cheap" with an low end Android, I just go without.  I can use my laptop and my phone to do whatever I need to do.  A tablet, Surface or otherwise, would be a luxury.  People who aren't currently in the market to spend this kind of money on luxuries are not "ridiculous".

going without is nit ridiculous. asking for high build quality and high end component in a very compact package and then asking the it be priced the same as cheaply made plastic arm based android tablets is ridiculous.

Hit that nail right on the head!  I will spend the money for surface even if I have to wait a few extra months to make the purchase.  I have always been pissed with the OEM's for producing crappy products.  What cansumers are starting to realize that business has always known, price is not everything. Its functionality, scalability, reliability & product roadmap.   Since Windows XP there has been nothing but crap when it comes to hardware and Microsoft was thrown under the bus by the OEM's with Vista.  Microsoft finally did what I had been wanting for atleast two decades even though it is later than it ever should have been. Microsoft if you stay the course and show the world your vision for your products while still putting a computing device in every home and every hand, goal accomplished. Ignore the short sidedness of our American Society you will continue to be the company of choice just stay the course. Apple and Google do not care about the consumer they are focused on beating Microsoft, why because you were first. The first is never forgotten remember that. If we all understood that we would be far more successful. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Microsoft!!!!!!!!!!  

People aren't asking for it to be priced the same as "cheaply made plastic arm based android tablets", they're asking for it to be cheaper than a laptop that has superior specifications. As I've said before Apple/Samsung can get away with charging ridiculous amounts for their products because they have that level of recognition with the average consumer. Microsoft don't. To your average joe Microsoft don't have that level of connection with the consumer yet, people don't just "buy Microsoft" for the sake of it because, to be honest, to most average consumers they still look at Microsoft as a software entity first and foremost. Now that I have seen the prices, that top of the line SP3 will be $2500 Australian (at a bare minimum, $2300) That is ******* ridiculous, you could buy TWO I7 laptops for that price, not the same form factor, but still, hell buy an ultrabook, or a convertible tablet, and have change left over, all with extra RAM and dedicated display.

Well said, well said!!! Couldn't have put it better. The way people complain about MS product pricing you wonder if they are being robbed or something. A truly objective comparison with any similar product always reveals that the surface line still gives the best value+price deal. I'd take RT over any other ARM OS out there anytime, no question about it!

I just have to say again I'm really impressed with your response.. It's been somewhere at the back of my mind for a very very long time, thanks for voicing this!
The root of the problem as you've said is that PC users are simply used to the lowest prices possible. As such anything and everything Microsoft does will unfortunately always be (blindly) measured against the cheapest price. Apple does not experience this challenge as their users simply do not compare their products with anything, therefore they are at liberty to fix prices as they see fit and still make sales. I think PC users have generally come to take the value MS brings to the table for granted. It's always so sad when I see people rate iOS and Android over RT, making it appear so inferior despite the fact that it is over and above the other two on ARM hardware. It isn't even given a chance. Enough said, MS please keep up the good work!

Oh PLEASE. You sound just the apple fanboys. "It's special it's worth the outrageous price." Anyone that buys into that BS is an idiot.

Like you crawled inside my head. I should sue you for plagiarism.

Hooray for RayWP7!!! Even if his user name is way out of date, his thought process is completely solid! ;-)

(applause).... Thank you! Thank you! I was two seconds from posting a similar comment after reading through these comments. You can't have it both ways people! You want quality it comes at a price. Durability? Performance? Design? Options? Reputability? This is what we asked for, something above the normal offerings in the Computer aisle. Of course there are cheaper alternatives, that's been the case forever. Yes, you can purchase another ultrabook for cheaper, maybe even a refurbished one. It'll probably last a long time too, but that's not why someone is buying a Surface Pro 3. Their looking for the intangible things. The "feel" of the device, construction and design. And their willing to pay for it. It's like some people want Porsche level engineering and quality at Camry prices. MS should definitely continue offering high-end computers, they have the other OEMs to showcase lower end devices. For those that can swing these prices, this is what we look.for, a certain level of craftsmanship. The nice thing is there are plenty of alternatives.

I personally don't, I'm speaking of spec mongers on this site. You are out of line as I was speaking of those persons who cry for build quality and specs as I mentioned in my post. So if you weren't one of those crying for the things I mentioned then as stated, then it doesn't apply to you and youth should learn how to decipher whether it applies to you or not.

Fair enough, brother!

Key words..... Older & refurbished.... Good luck to you guys. Everyone in this forum always complain about build quality of the current offerings windows has as opposed to Apple, yet when Microsoft takes matters into their own hands and produces quality devices compared to other OEM's, all of a sudden, it's too pricey even though the build quality and specs are both there. Seems like a bunch of Jr John Kerry 's ( flip flippers). Sorry, but if the surface line fails, it will be the so called supporters fault as we called for quality/specs & when MS obliges, we run to the same OEM's we previously complained. Talk about fair weather fans!!!

  Thank You!  I have Surface Pro, taking really good care of this baby and it's looking like day one.   I hold off on Surface Pro2, because from Pro1 to Pro2 aren't a major key factor for me to upgrade .  I am now ready to ugrade to Surface Pro3, and this Surface Pro will go to my niece, because she has her eye on this from day one.  I love my Surface Pro, especially when I'm at a Coffee shop here in Seattle, and EVERYONE else are either with MacBook Pro or Macbook Air.   I want to stand out!  I don't want it to be cheap!   

omg55, Preach brother and let them hear it from the mountain top. well said. fyi: I am one of those advocating for not just build quality, but plus bestifil design and I have never whinned about surface pricing and really loved their build quality with originality for surface line of products. my household have an rt and 1st edition pro 128gb.

Thank you sir as I currently use a Lumia icon, Nokia 2520, distributed several surfaces in my organization as I am the IT manager. I have been waiting on the surface mini as well as a surface phone if MS ever releases one. I would love for all of my devices to be surface products.

Really wish I could thumbs up this. 925 times.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lenovo-U430-Touch-1600x900-laptop-Haswell-Core-i...   I just bought one today.

That is an awesome spec for $600. also looks elegant. this though to some extent proves omg55's point. those buying apple devices would rather gladly pay $700 for iPad Air 32gb. I am sure I do not need to state miles of differences between both and all the bazillion things that the lenovo above.can do that the iPad Air can not even sniff. Now wrap that same spec in a mac os ultra book which is not touch and I bet you it will cost close to $2000 conservatively and apple fans not apple company will defend that purchase with words like build quality, design arsthetics, it just works. MS packs saps spec into a 2LB tablet, awesome design, mag build quality for say $1600. We windows fan will cry murther and bitch like sailors.  Surface designs have awesome originality and solid quality but we just don't want to pay for it.

No, because the Surface Pro 3 doesn't have nvidia graphics, also I'm talking about having more that 8gb And yeah I'm not talking about buying that for less that $1000 but still cheaper that the Surface Pro 3, but anyway the Surface Pro 3 is still a great device but too far away for my budget so I don't think that I will spend too much money for a device like that even that I wish

Nope. Because the Surface doesn't have a dedicated graphics card. It's not such a big deal for many but you won't be playing Watch Dogs in a Surface. I have a Surface 2 and a desktop for playing games but my brother just uses his Asus ROG notebook (1250$) and connects it to a display to use it at home. His is giant and unportable with no touchscreen but there is a model with touchcreen and cheaper (1000$) but with a SLIGHTY worse graphics card.

I'm not talking about the way I need dedicated graphics card, in my case I will not play games at all but I need the graphic for processing things (with OpenGL and Cuda for example)
But yeah not everyone need graphics card, in my first comment I don't explain at all
But anyway if I had the money enough to buy a good computer as I said and also a tablet, I will go for this new surface without think it twice

Lol.... Good one.

Then buy an ultrabook. Every time a surface is announced the same people come out of the woodwork to say 'how much!, for that price I could get an "insert pointless reference to an incomparable device from a different target market here"' The surface is not an ultrabook, it is a high performance tablet computer, and it is priced accordingly, Ultrabooks are ten a penny these days so it's no wonder you can get one cheaper or higher spec for the same price. If it's not sour grapes/trolling then save your wisdom for something else.

Thank you. I would love to see a Surface ultrabook line, but the Surface is about defining a Windows tablet, not trying to compete with the dozen or so OEMs cranking out ultrabooks. If you dont like tablets and want an ultrabook, go buy one. The Surface is a tablet. Yes, it can replace a laptop for a lot of people, but its a tablet.

For me it did actually replace a laptop, and that had replaced an iPad. I have a displaylink dock set up at home with KB, Mouse, screen, ecternal HD, priner etc. So I have a great mobile tablet (laptop as well, as I also have a type cover) and when I get home I plug in one USB cable and boom, full desktop computer, so  I get all three :o)

For $300 less than my SP2 with g type cover, my wife has a Lenovo Yoga 11S. Bigger than I wanted, which is why I have it too her and got the Surface, but a nice PC with the same internal specs as my SP2.

That Y series processor seriously hampers performance. And the screen doesn't compare at all.

No touchscreen and no tablet more, basically just a normal laptop, hence the price difference...

Yeah, I only had my eyes set on the original Surface Pro, because it was for sale for $599. But, now, I have my eyes set on the Surface Mini. Hopefully, Microsoft releases an LTE version at the right price.

The price would be much easier to deal with if they at least include a touch cover in the price of the tablet.

This!

Just do like I did. Wait till last gen model goes on sale. The surface pro aside from battery life is great for me and this Christmas I will likely get the sp2 if they are around the same price as my pro was when I brought it last Christmas.

Or do like I did. I got my SP2 slightly used.

Financing is available ; ) I will be financing mine

Keep the desire or be forced to buy iPad mini

The iPad Mini is actually the best tablet that I've owned, so far. Great screen and all-day battery life seal the deal. But, I want a a Surface RT tablet, because the iPad isn't the most productive tablet for typing documents on. And, most of the keyboards available require Bluetooth and are overpriced. But, the Surface will be complementing my iPad and 1520, for sure. I'll definitely get my us out of it.

I have the Surface RT, and while it is decent, it's better to go non-RT.   Also what's up with the music app playing the same 20 or so songs over and over with a list hundreds, and shuffle and repeat on.

Look at the price list for SP3, I wouldn't be surprised to see that MS would drop $100 for all the SP2 line offerings.

MEH. The 'details' won't even matter. If that's the pricing the surface 3 will be a bomb just like the other versions.

+1020

I'll sell my surface, $150. Or my surface pro 2 $800 with type 2 and more

Got a surface for 150$ and a surface pro 2 for $800 plus type 2 and more. Never really used either unfortunately... Let me know if anyone wants either

Wow (This time keep it going)

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

No.

Yes

Nothing about a Surface 3?

My thoughts exactly.... I will definitely be getting a surface 3 or 2 when they announce a surface 3.

Add a Wacom pen and GPS and I'm sold.

Any new markets added? Microsoft really needs to reach more countries.

That's likely a dream too big to come true.

We need India very much! Come on Microsoft!

It's of no use. People won't see the functionality of the device, all that they would see is that, there's a cheaper android tablet and talk crap about the surface. Same goes for the laptop perspective. People will just bitch about how the surface is soo costly and Microsoft should keep it to themselves. On the other hand it could become a style statement /"look at me I'm a rich guy" device. But that would need people to buy a Surface. And the plus side it self has a catch. I'd rather say, Microsoft should make a good cheaper low end device first, let that device gain some reputation and then when the surface has a name in the market, bring in the big guns. Introduce surface pro 3 or 4. Till then better stay away from India and save themselves all the bitch talk from the ignorant Samsung users which are unfortunately crowding in India..

Everyone that sees my beast of a tablet (Surface Pro 2) is pretty amazed by it.  The only thing that I found to really bring it to it's knees is my Unreal Engine 4 level I'm making.  That runs perfectly fine on my desktop, but horrible on the SP2 (like maybe .5 fps).  Sure it's not optimized, but I was quite saddened.   But I've thrown a bunch of games at it, along with either a wired x360 controller, or wireless x360 with adaptor (that impressed them).  Softimage, Maya, Houdini, Photoshop, After Effects.  It's amazing what this tablet can do.  However, I still do the majority of my work on my desktop.  Like someone above mentioned, an nvidia gpu would be nice, but then price would be even more expensive. I wonder when Wacom will announce new models of their win8 tablet.  I like the buttons they have on the tablet; don't have to use the keyboard as much.   Lately I've been using the SP2 for displaying sheet music for playing piano.  It's the best method I've found so far.  Flipping pages is simply a matter of swiping across the page.  It's much quicker than physically turning a page of a real book.  And not having to lug around a bunch of books is fantastic - all goes on the microsd card!

Yeah. I'm not saying that it is not good. It's just that here in India people looking for a tablet, look at 3 things. Android version, screen size and most importantly price. Notice how I said android instead of OS? That's because people are very ignorant. Anything that's not android is a piece of crap to them. Windows Phone is slowly getting recognized for it's uniqueness, but there are people who think wp7 and wp8 are the same thing. When I first told my friends i bought a L520, they said "What's the use it doesn't even have Bluetooth". One of them got a 620 as a gift but had it returned and bought a galaxy grand because she "thought it didn't have Bluetooth" and didn't even check. That's the sad state that is happening here. The point of this is that people's mentality is that if it's not android then it must be missing features. I'm not saying everyone is like this, but most of them are. This is what I fear would happen to surface. It didn't happen to wp bcoz of 520. Itz becoz itz a cheap but awesome device. Not everyone would risk a lot of money on something new. So that's why they should bring a budget device first.

Windows RT? Or full windows 8.1?

They are running Intel Core processors, what do you think? Windows 8.1, of course, otherwise, it wouldn't be the Pro edition anyway.

Surface mini= Windows RT
Surface Pro 3= Window 8.1

Full Windows, for sure, especially at that price.

Let it happen, I'm ready. :D

It may be time to sell my Pro 2 and get a Pro 3. :D

Although if the device is much larger and/or heavier I might stick with my Pro 2.

Unless you absolutely want a bigger screen size, I don't see the point in trading up.

I mostly agree with you unless battery shows a big improvement.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. How has battery life been for you? 

Last time I was tracking:   I've been using my surface for 5 hours without pluging in to power. The battery estimate claims I still have 43% left. I have been doing browsing (Firefox), ssh connections (KiTTY), OpenVPN intermittently, Sublime Text, SQLyog, WinSCP, Miranda IM, and Thunderbird.   So pretty darn good!

Nice!!! It sounds like you can easily make it through the day with juice to spare! Here's to hoping, Microsoft can further improve on the battery life of the Surface line! I'm really hoping this rumored Surface Mini has great battery life.

Depends. I have an sp2 and would sell and get sp3 but only if its LTE equipped. Thats the only upgrade I'm looking for at the moment. Love my sp2

Are there any full Windows tablets or laptops with LTE currently?

There was the ativ smart pc. Don't know if its successor got it. Then theres the dell venue pro & also a latitude tablet aswell

My body is ready, and so is my wallet.

Uh, I wish the windows button was a hard button not a touch one, too easy to turn display on.

No way. Capacitive button is much better.

Not for me it is to easily touched making screen come on, especially when you swipe down.

Why would you be swiping down when the screen is off?

Now this is a great question...

When screen is on and I'm typing on my 2520 I sometimes hit windows key, when I swipe down to close an app I sometimes hit it and when screen is locked and I go to grab it I sometimes hit windows button. While on my Samsung t700 I don't cus it has a hardware button.

I meant when its on, and when I grab tablet.

Finally...been waiting to tap dat surface for a while

Priced to fail, again. No one but Microsoft fans will buy these when you can get atom tablets and regular ultrabooks cheaper. And being bigger means they will be heavier and less appealing as pure tablets. Ridiculous strategy.

Can't argue with that. I would buy a mini pro in a heartbeat, or a pro 2, if the damn keyboard was included.

For what it's worth we are looking at the Pro series with a potentially larger screen size, so there is a chance that there may be a series of 10 inch Surface (non-Pro) devices for lower price-points. Let's hope some sanity prevails and we see active digitizers alongside Atom and Core i3 on a $449 and a $549 Surface, respectively.

Your assuming that it will be as thick as the pro.

My brother actually wants a surface pro but needs out at a minimum of 12". I think people who buy sps are looking for laptop/netbook and tablet replacement.

The Surface Pro line is not a pure tablet, nor is it meant to compete as one.

Ain't that the truth

I would love to see them sell at a cheap price, but so far the Surface line is losing money. I think they are trying to change that.

I'm intrigued, through the top end device coming in near $2000 - this device had better have a discrete graphics card because it is going up against serious competition in the form of ultrabooks, gaming laptops and the top end macbooks and even the razor.
I'm guessing (and hoping) this thing is a beast in the vein of the wacom cintiq, but a real deal laptop replacement.
And at those prices the thing had better come with a type cover.
Otherwise it's going to get slaughtered in the marketplace. Too many compromises...

Sadly when most oems implemented haswell they choose to skimp on good discrete cards for low voltage cards that sacrifice any performance gains the top end versions of these cards have

The thing your forgetting though is that discreet graphics chips consume more power than the APU that's currently in them. Meaning your going to draw more power and create more heat.   a tablet simply cant handle that and there is no logical reason to include one.  

Pricing is a joke yoga pro 2 is like 300$ cheaper with better screen

Not to mention, it comes with the damn keyboard and better battery life than the current Surface Pros.

Some of you guys just don't get it. Microsoft is not going to undercut their OEMs with the Surface. It is always going to be a premium device.

I get it. But, for that price, it'd still be awesome if the keyboard were included. You don't agree?

Premium doesn't only mean more expensive... It should be more refined features
Like the razer custome number pad

If that's the case, then Microsoft might as well quit and rely on their partners. I like they're building premium tablets, but if they're going to price them out of the market and fail, just to not piss off their partners, then why waste the time, effort, and money? Forget about your partners. They don't deserve any loyalty. These bastards have been flooding the market with Android tablets and Chromebooks. They don't give a damn about Microsoft.

Here is a true story.
So I have been working at Starbucks for 6 months. There is this young man(a student), that usually come and did his homework's with his chromebook. One day he came in with his MacBook pro. So I ask him where is his chromebook, and if the MacBook pro is new. He told me that his chromebook stop working,so he replaced it with his MacBook pro. I asked him why not get a cheap laptop. He told me laptop are cheap, once bitten twice shy. He wants something that is well built and will last for a while. I told him I bought a surface pro (and showed it to him) and windows laptops are better than what it used to be. He told me he likes my surface, and wish he knew about it before he bought the MacBook pro.

First of all, the suface line is built to be better. I don't know much about the build quality of the yoga, but i doubt it's as nice. I also looked up the Yoga's price, it really doesn't look that great compared to the prices listed here. Amazon has an 8gb ram/256 hd for 1,468.88, that's hardly $300. That pc also doesn't seem to come with a pen either or a detachable keyboard. . Also, i've played around with Lenovo's, they are awful. I once helped a guy who bought one, out of the box it couldn't even run windows updates (it had w7 installed with a side disk for 8). Also, How can you compare screens when the Surface 3's screen hasn't even been announced yet?

1- best buy had that same model for 1100 for months as a promotion, so does the official Lenovo site with coupons all the time
2- Lenovo build quality is one of the best
3- what's a detachable keyboard when the whole device thickness is in mm
4- I am comparing gen 2 of the Lenovo screen, so if you really want to be fair wait gen3
Tdlr: the surface waaaay too expensive

Lenovo's tablets don't even touch Surface in terms of build quality. Not even close.  I would agree these are too expensive and won't well very well. They better get the mini pricing right.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this basically identical to SP2 pricing?

2- Lenovo THINKPADS are the best. Ideapads, even the yoga, is certainly average+, but not the best.

Haha, I guess ThinkPad's are ok if the only laptop you ever saw was a cheep dell or HP. I've always heard how great Lenovo is, but the first time i touched a think pad, i was surprised at the plastic and cheapness of it all. I also hated the keys, they felt like they were going to fall off the thing. And to top it off, it was full of bloat ware, and windows 7 couldn't even do windows updates out of the box. FAIL

You lost me with your claim that best buy was cheeper. You must be talking about the refurbished model. Because I just looked, it's listed as $1,656.64

No, for awhile, Best Buy did have it on sale for $1100.  I know, because I was researching it, before finally buying an Asus due to concern about the yellow-tint issue.

I'll believe you. And you know what, there's probably a good reason these were being sold at a reduced price. Odds are, i wouldn't want to trade my surface pro 2 for one of those pieces of trash.

Doesn't that weight bother you?  Yoga 2 weighs 3.1 pound and the Thinkpad Yoga weighs 3.52 pound.  The detached Surface gives you flexibility.  Although I wish the Surface Pro 2 could weigh less than 2 pound as a tablet, it is much lighter than the Ultrabooks.  For Ultrabook, you have to carry the keyboard all the time whether you use it or not.  I really like the Surface's Kickstand which is handy and easier to operate than the foldable keyboard.  So the the formfactor design can mean a lot to many people who are willing to pay fot it. 

The Yoga 2 Pro screen is atrocious. Go to Bing and search for the "yellow problem". I've got one because the design itself is great, but Lenovo went super cheap on the screen quality and wireless card, with no pen support either. Surface Pro is the better device.

How about no ? You go google the firmware that was issued less than 2 months later that fixed that problem

One thing any 360 owner can tell you is your paying for the warranty support

Screen for sure is not better. There are problems with yellow. Check it on lenovo forum. Resolution definitely is not everything as some ignorants think.

The Yoga is a great device, but its more of an Ultrabook that can sort of work as a tablet. The Surface is a pure slate tablet that can also work as an Ultrabook. The lines are blurring, but to me, the pure slate tablet is a more challenging form factor to put together and more the space where MS wants to have an active role in the market. I like tablets and would much rather have the Surface than something like the Yoga thats more laptop-oriented.   

Alienware 18?

Not as good as the r2 m18 if they dont bring anything as good in the future id rather go for a eurocom laptop

I really, really hope this is a small laptop and not a tablet. A laptop would make me seriously consider shelling out the cash for the low end model. I've been a little interested in having a laptop.

A Surface Pro with it's kickstand and type cover IS a laptop. But it can also be a high powered tablet. That's the beauty of them.

^This

Here's the thing, it ISN'T a laptop. The bulk of the weight is contained in the screen. Fine by me for what the Surface is(a hybrid), but not what I want in a laptop.

I agree. The Surface is a tablet first that can do laptop duty in the right conditions. Its primary design is to be a pure slate tablet though. That's exactly what I love about it. If you really want an ultrabook and dont care about mobile apps and touch tablets, the Surface probably isnt for you.

My surface pro 2 now seems old. :'(

Don't mention it to mine. She's temperamental!

I guess ill Craigslist my surface pro 1 and opt for that i5

If Microsoft want to really disrupt the tablet market they need to do what Motorola is doing in the smartphone market, make amazing phones for a small price

"Sure, because it worked so well for Motorola." :-P
Except for your weird example of a non existing success story, I have to agree with the last part. They need something outstanding. I've not been impressed with Surface so far (only tried the first gen, tbh).

yeah. they need to sell surface/sufrace pro at a loss, to drive adoption of windows 8. IMHO.
of course, I've no expierence running a billion dollar platform, so WMMV.

Yeah that is true, but msft has it all to lose. Man if it goes even one percent right, it could be massive. Look at it, msft has surface premium and overprice They have lumia, mid-range/lower-range, the lumia tablet too. That should be expanded as the low cost model. They also have nokia x. They torjan horse, the stepchild, the ugly ducking. They can really attck the buttom setter with that. Make a tablet too. That is why they can afford to overprice. Posted via the WPC App for Android!

This is awesome. I just bought a Venue 8 Pro, so hopefully they won't make Surface 3 or Surface Mini with Intel processors just YET :D I enjoy Surface tablets a lot, but I hate that they're behind other companies like Samsung that often set the new standard. Samsung makes some killer future-proof inexpensive pieces of hardware.

I hope they do make a Surface Mini. A Surface Mini with Windows 8.1 RT (that includes Office) and LTE would be a day one purchase for me.

I hope it's ARM for the sole reason that I just bought the Venue 8 Pro. Don't care much about the bigger tablets, as 7-8" is that much more of a sweet spot for me. Just the right aide to fit in your hand, take with you almost anywhere, and get everything done without carrying around a big, fragile chunk of glass ^^

Agreed lol. I'm leaning more towards RT, because of the included Office apps. Otherwise, I'd have opted for the Venue 8 Pro, as it's an awesome piece of kit.

Venue 8 pro comes with MS Office though.

It does? Completely free?

Yup ;-) Posted via the WPC App for Android!

have to buy new refurbs don't get it so if you want to save $30-50 go refurb, same exact warranty from dell. 

I had a Dell Venue 8 Pro for a while now.  I found myself use it mainly for the bedside reading and web browsing that a RT tablet could serve well.  It is not comfortable to use Desktop on the 8" screen tablet, although the DV8P does support the legacy apps.  RT fits well with the 8" or smaller screen tablets.  The Surface Mini sounds interesting if it weighs less than 0.8lb.  I would trade my DV8P for that.  The DV8P is little heavy to hold with a single hand for a long period of time.  Hopefully, the Surface Mini is a bit smaller in size and lighter in weight.  MS would probably also release their new Office Reader along with the Surface Mini.  A 7.5" tablet with an active stylus will serve that new Reader app well.  It would probably support the Nook eBook/Magazine service.

Yes. Microsoft makes the highest quality premium products and leaves the variety items for their PARTNERS to make up for. People tend to leave out details like this when they unfairly compare prices. When they say its too expensive, it just means it's too expensive for them.

i3-4GB RAM-64GB - $799 lol. still too high.

I would definitely pickup the Surface 3 of Microsoft can match the lighter and the thinner bezel of the iPad Air. Ultimately the OS is the biggest hurdle at the moment. Needs a huge transformation. But I'm positive this will happen by fall 2014

Then you'd lose the USB slot, which is what the overrated iPad lacks.

Too pricey.

No kidding, these things are a joke. Anyone who wants to do serious work is going to buy a laptop. Anyone who wants a casual replacement/compliment to a laptop is going to buy a tablet. And with the much cheaper iPad being "the" tablet to buy, no one is going to shell out this much cash for a Surface, especially with Windows 8's current reputation (even if most of it is bogus). If MS wants to make the Surface successful, they need to make less options, make CHEAPER options, and they need to market these things like hell.

Totally agree.

What about people who want a mobile tablet they can dock at home and it becomes a desktop, or setup on a table and get some work done. Will that cheaper iPad do that? Will the laptop function as a mobile tablet while you are out and about?  The Surface line is for people who want a tablet that can also get work done. If you need an apple analogy, imagine an slightly bigger iPad that is can also run OSX like a macbook pro or dock to a monitor and keyboard and run like a desktop.

You don't understand. It is still too much expensive, don't be a sheep

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 Prices are just too damn high. $800 for an i3 and only 4GB of RAM. A cool $1000 for an i5 and 4GB of RAM. The i7 and the i5 at 256GB should have 12GB of RAM instead of 8. All I've got to say is this better be a 12" tablet or larger and it better damn well include the keypad. Microsoft is not going to sell any of these except for the cheapest i5 and i3. Why even bother at these prices Microsoft.

If you want something cheep and made of plastic, go to lenovo or hp. I personly would rather pay for something quality.

if it was just a laptop you'd be right but its a tablet and a desktop replacement as well, most people that buy that 1000 mac also buy a ipad as well cause you cant go every where with a laptop, you need a desktop or at least a lap to use it, im on a laptop now on a desk, if i use it laying on my bed it gets hot cause where the vent are located, when im in the living room I use my phone to browse the web cause I don't want to unplug the lap top and have to sit there with it on my lap, when Im working i dont mind doing that but just to watch tv, it aint worth it if it was a tablet then instead of my phone id use it, plus I can go do a music session over some ones house and only bring music gear and this tablet, would be all i need, and a usb 3.0 hub

Anything that makes a surface 2 cheaper is a bonus! :D then surface 3 gets cheap on 4s release :D

Lol! That's what I was thinking!

I don't get why Microsoft keeps compromising. They aren't market leaders anymore, they can't have their prices so high. Everyone says the build quality of their devices is top notch, but make the devices more compelling and stop losing money from Surface please.   I would love to get a Surface Pro, but it is too expensive and it isn't a laptop replacement just yet.

Not only is it a laptop replacement, it's a desktop replacement. I do graphic design, web design, 3D modeling, Animation and Video Editing on my Surface Pro. (just got a pro 2, which is even better). I LOVE THIS DEVICE!

First and foremost a Surface is a tablet, and its pricing(s) should reflect that.

What? Its a tablet? The size of the device has absolutely nothing to do with the cost of the parts. Whether its in a 5" device or a 15" one, an Intel core processor alone costs 2/3 of an iPad

If you just want a tablet, than get a regular surface or some other cheep device that only does games and web browsing. Don't complain about the Pro's pricing. The Surface Pro is designed to do more. Either get one and love it or go get some cheep trash. You might have had half a point if this whole thing wasn't about the Surface Pro 3.

No, it is built from ultrabook parts and it costs as ultrabook. It should be clear for anyone who think a bit

kevC4D, How do you do all that on your Pro 2? Does these things run smoothly?
Thing is I have a third gen i5 laptop with 4 gigs of ram that runs slower than my 5 years old first gen i7  with 6 gigs of ram desktop. I've never been into laptops but Surface is the perfect device for me, I worry that it's performance wouldn't be that good though specially since it is expensive. Glad you love your pro 2, let me know how it performs though, would be much appreciated. I want to buy one for college.   Also it being a tablet doesn't mean it has to be expensive. Microsoft isn't in a strong position and I don't get why they are sticking to a relatively high pricing model.  

  Yes i do, and it does run smooth. I also have a desktop with an i7 and 16 gigs of ram. i use and love both. And as far as Microsofts position, I believe the surface line is said to be selling well now.   ​

Love my Surface Pro 2-8GbRAM-258Gb! And I even use for virtual machines (up to three) with no performance hangs (pretty much the same as my previous (heavier) Dell). Just wait a little while and you'll get a Pro 2 just as mine, but way cheaper. With 5 different devices I wonder why not one with 16Gb RAM. I'd be in virtualization heaven (a portable virtualization heaven. From the comments here it seems I'm the only one dreaming on it.

Ye, it should be the fastest, thinnest, lightest, most well built tablet available on the market and it should be cheap. NO COMPROMISES!!! /s

pallentx ... nice!  gave me a good laff.

Damn I want the one with the i7 processor but it's to expensive

Here in Germany you get a ultra book with an i7 CPU 1TB and some other cool parts for 800€

1TB HDD lol. Same 1 TB SSD costs about 800€.

Does it function as a slate tablet too?

Wish i could buy, but still a bit too expen$I've.

$300 for an extra gig of Ram. Ridiculous.

Extra 4 gigs actually but still ridiculous.

Did you forget the SSD memory increase? And its 4GB of Ram not 1.

yea i guess i looked it over too quick. The 128 gig seems to be on par as far as price point.

I see they intend to keep with overpricing. I guess they're happy with underselling.

Apple started doing the exact same thing. ALL of their products were crazy overpriced but then the market adjusted and now they are seen as the base reference point. If MS gets enough traction, it won't matter. You might even see Apple raising their prices.

At those prices they need to include the keyboard cover.

Is this the new iPad? Can't afford it. That money can feed 50 families for a year in some parts of the world.

+620

In which part of world?
 

This is not an iPad, this is a Surface Pro. If you want the cheap one, you get a mini or RT.

Still expensive. That lower sku should be 699$ for an i3. You can get base bottom laptops with similar performance for

The only thing I care about is the thickness...
I'm happy with the surface pro 2 specs... I just don't want a tablet that thick.
although a little extra graphics processing would be welcomed.

USB port. Any thinner and that would have to be cut.

The Surface 2 is quite a bit thinner and has plenty of room for a USB port.

you want faster graphics and thinner? not gonna happen in the next 2 years.

If this device isn't thinner and potentially lighter, they might as well have stuck with the 10 inch tablets. 12 inch tablets with the same thickness of the Surface Pro 2 would be way to cumbersome and gargantuan to bother with.
   

on-board graphics are continuously getting better.
why do you think we'd have to wait 2 years? smartphone GPUs are making huge advances every 6 months.

If they announce a 12" Surface Pro, I will buy one at launch and take it to my grave!

LOL! I think before you go to your grave they will have a bigger screen.

Will this mean that the surface pro 2 price will drop?

Most certainly.

That would be preety cool :)

I question the reliability of this information. Why is the i3 model in the third generation as expnsive as the i5 model in the current generation? It seems like a stupid strategy to me. (plus my i3 laptop is slower than my surface rt)

RT is built to be faster to run on lower-spec machines... so its comparing apples and oranges.
but yeah, unless there is something we're missing here, pricing the i3 the same as the i5 current gen does seem a bit strange.

Oh man X-Box One or Surface Pro 3? Decisions

Xbox One with Kinect is boss. Then get a Surface Mini for SmartGlass.

Heavy breathing O_O

Spensive

Rather cheap for a well built computer

Are these i5's/i7's 4th or 5th generation?

When MS is looking for people to adopt thier new enviroment, I am baffled by these high prices. I have no desire to spend that much on a tablet.

and neither do most people. After almost 2 years in the market, this much is clear.

12" @ 2560x1440 would be awesome

For RT, it would be a nice addition. But, for the Pro models, it'd suck, especially when working on the desktop, as the apps won't scale correctly. 

Why not 4K ? At least hope for the best man!!

Because no one would but it. Do you realize how expensive and pointless that would be? And how much of a strain that would but on the battery?

do you seriously want a 4K screen on that? 1440p would be basically all you need. more pixels = more expensive, more power, less battery life, more cpu/gpu usage = less win. and don't forget, you can always use a 4K screen for what really matters: external display.

Wish they'd make a netbook-specced Surface Pro Lite or something....maybe with the next-gen Intel Atom or an AMD Mullins. Unfortunately it would probably end up hurting the RT-based Surface sales =/

It should have been "surface" instead of "are revealed" in the headline. :)

Surfaced?

Sure face of Surface surface?

Is it me, or does 6 months feel really fast for them to introduce a new Pro model?

Yes. Sadly, electronics today are built to be replaced within a year. :/

I think it will be a new line. A "new" model but with 12" screen. The 10" surface will probably be updated in October again

when you're losing, speed is your friend.

I. WANT. IT. (i7 8 GB RAM)

I thought they were making a lower price one to sit in between the surface 2 rt and surface pro 2. Oh well, I have an intel core i3 dell venue 11 pro I got for $500 on ebay, waiting for my old surface rt and iphone to sell before I get the dell keyboard with battery. Then it will be a laptop!

I have the venue II Pro, i5 and 128GB storage. Fast enough for me. Dell gave it to me to replace a frozen Latitude 10. I really like this thing and will keep it for a year or two.

You FROZE your Latitude 10 and Dell covered it under warranty?  :0

Yeah, they took it, fixed it, sent it back 3 weeks later and it crapped out in one day. So they had me send it back. This time they said it was the motherboard, that it would take three weeks longer to replace. But the rep from customer care (after complaining on Facebook and twitter) said the was going to replace it with the Venue II Pro with the i3 CPU. That stayed on hold for about three weeks and I started to use Facebook and twitter to complain about the backorder. So the rep canceled that order and ordered the one with the i5. And a Sprint LTE radio. (useless to me as I am with ATT) but I got that one in a week.

I think the i3 model with a mere 64gb of storage can't possible be correct. That said, I'm all in for the i7 with 8 gigs of RAM and a 256 ssd... hopefully an 11.6 inch device :)

why not? it's fine for web email and store apps. what I dissagree with is the price. there is no way an i3 is that expensive. Based on the price difference between it and the i5 and the fact 64GB of storage isn't that much more expensive than 128, one has to wonder if it couldn't be another 100 bucks cheaper. hey maybe these include the overs? ha h aha. yeah right.

Why would u guys call this expensive but wont say the same about the IPAD or Galaxy tablets?

They're all expensive. As for the Galaxy Tabs, though, Samsung has tablets at all levels of the market. Only the Tab Pro and Note Pro are priced high.

Are you being sarcastic? I hope you are.

the ipad IS expensive. However keep in mind it isn't the fact that there is a 2000 dollar tablet which makes people call them expensive. The problem is that there is no budget surface and until there is, they will not sell in high voumes. What's the #1 selling windows phone? and what is the #1 reason for this? yup.

Discrete GPU, and you will have something here.

Well, the surface pro is not premium at all. I have a pro 1 and it creaks and it over heats like crazy. It froze a lot, the screen has screen burns etc etc. I already exchanged it twice and I still have the same issues. So... Paying this price for such a shitty build... Nope, not going to do it again.

I definitely agree with those that say that you all complain too much. Apple is insanely expensive for what you get, yet all people can talk about is Quality. Well the Surface is a superior quality PC in tablet form factor. Essentially an ultrabook in a tablet. That said, I have a Pro 2 and will not be getting a refresh, but Microsoft has done a great job with the Surface line.

You are correct, Apple products are really overpriced. That doesn't mean I wont feel good about my purchase unless they take an extra $500 however ;). Like I said, I'm in for the low end i7 model, selling my Surface Pro 2 if these specs are real!

But my Surface Pro 2 256/8GB doesn't even seem old yet. :(

Then don't replace it.

i7 8Gb RAM 512Gb - take my money now!

I checked the fruit's website and found that the only laptop with i7 and 8 GB of RAM is $2,000, so in terms of pricing against competition, Surface Pro 3 wins by $450. Plus the fruit's laptop it's a touchscreen and stops working forever when you take the keyboard off, not like I need to tell anyone in WPCentral that.

But it is for the tablet this wouldn't include the keyboard. You may have to get keyboard and other accessories.

Oh yeah I forgot that about that. . .
Well hopefully it still will be a little less even with the keyboard.

Aww man I wanted smaller, not larger!

Surface Mini is still coming that day. We can have both :)

Must be thin, good battery life, qhd screen, pen that hides in tablet to be a premium device.

Also fart pink unicorns.

Lol, you win

Exactly.

Seriously wish they would just release an ultrabook. Especially if they are making forays into the 12" space. I mean I can see myself using an ultrabook that small, but not a tablet that large.

Here's to hoping someday Microsoft would release a budget tablet. Lumia 2520 is too pricey given it's just RT.

I actually think the 2520 is priced competitively, considering you get the mobile connectivity as part of the deal.

Really, 'just' RT?? Maybe you should try the iPad Air, or one of the galaxy products within the same price range and enlighten us on your experience compared to RT.

Well said friend

You complain about the Lumia being priced that high yet you have the iPad that doesn't have the hardware features of the Lumia? Seriously?

why are these so expensive? why can't I afford these? why is my hair brown???

I am glad to see Microsoft stand in Apples face. It's obvious they intend to cater to a quality first market share, albeit small but profitable if done correctly. I bet the hardware will be impeccable as will the service Microsoft provides to the ownership.

These prices are insane!!!! Come on, Microsoft.

You're paying for a premium product. If you want cheap stuff go for an Acer or something.

Hmmm. I just bought a Surface Pro 2 a few days ago.

Wait, how was this confirmed as a real device? Its the exact opposite of confirmed. The original article that wrote about the SP3 clarified that it was a typo and that it was not a real product. At least that's what every other site is reporting. Maybe WPCentral has something exclusive here, but most of the sites that have reported about it has updates their claims.

Well of course Microsoft will say it is a typo until it isn't.

Which gpu?

Holy shit. Me wants le Core i7 version. If the resolution is at least QHD too, I will shit my pants.

Surface 3 i7-8GB RAM-512GB - $1,949??? That is overprice.. I would buy ASUS ROG G750JS for $1,780 instead. But for $1,780, I can a build a monstrous Desktop PC. But unfortunately, I can only afford $700 laptop. If I am super rich, I would definitely buy that Surface 3 for $1,949

You could get extremely lucky one day, win the lottery, get a gift from a loved one who cares about you, gain an inheritance or awarded a huge settlement! I'll pray for you, if you don't mind such a thing... ;)

For everyone complaining about the price(as is usual) , you are paying for a premium product. It is too compete with the MacBook. And these prices are very reasonable for a product as premium as the surface line.

....except that the Macbook Air with the exact same specs costs $100 less. Go look at Apple's website. The i5 4GB RAM 128gb SSD only costs $900, but the equivalent SP costs $1000.

It does come with a touch screen and wacom digitzer which I believe the MacBook Air doesn't have. I think that indeed justifies the extra $100

But is it really though? If it were, then more people would be buying them compared to MBA. People here don't like Apple because they choose to have higher margins and overprice things. Do we really want to praise Microsoft for charging more than they need to? Even if those two equaled exactly $100 in value, they would still be artificially overpricing just to be snobs (assuming you're of the belief that Apple does the same thing).

Not only that, the air gets a dedicated screen on a hinge with the guts separate and a lot more room to cram stuff in. I hate it when people try to compare these like they're apples to apples. If you want a cheap laptop, you have many choices. Go get one. If you want a kick-ass awesome tablet, there's Surface.

I have a SP2. I enjoy it, but sometimes I feel like I paid too much...

exactly.... this person seems to forget this isn't a laptop but tablet so it has nice touch screen and wacom, and runs windows 8.1 which is better than osx anyday.

Yes, but for that extra $100, you may get a pen and a touchscreen, but you don't get a KEYBOARD. Call me crazy, but I prefer a keyboard to a pen and touch screen. So, since the type keyboard costs $129, that would he $1,129 or a roughly 25% higher price compared to the MBA.

The SP is much more productive than a MBA. While in school I worked with team mates who had the MBA and I was able to do much more than they could. I never carried a paper notebook to class. Can edit my handwriting if needed. Office of a windows device is a billion times better than on a Mac. So yes, it might be slightly more expensive for the SP, it more than makes up for it in usefulness. The pen is a major differentiating factor.

Well said, that's the point I was trying to make, the wacom pen and digitizer is often overlooked until you start to use it and really appreciate its worth. I can't count how many circuit schematics I've drawn and edited so conveniently with this.. Would formerly have had to use paper and scan images etc. This is real value.

I'm not saying that it's not worth more than the MBA, but a pen and a touch screen is not worth an extra $229.

i5 + 8gb + 256gb sounds friggin' awesome, but I don't think I'll have 1300€ for a long time (poor student). Might pick up an equivalent Pro 2, as they'll most likely get cheaper after tuesday, Only requirements for me is that it has over 200gb storage and atleast 4gb RAM.

Still gonna stick with my first Gen rt. Its works perfect for my needs.

i7?! Shit!

Seriously, people buy ipod/iphone/ipad/macbook because it's beautifully designed and well built. Surface is a beautiful designed and well built.  I want the best, and I am willing to pay for the best. If people can't afford to buy these, then they are opt to buy from OEMs.  I seriously don't want to be using these, and people are making comment.  "Oh, she is using a Surface , they are really cheap!"  

You're totally right but I don't think Microsoft as the brand loyalty of Apple. So while the quality might be the same Microsoft's reputation among consumers will continue to hurt them. Pricing matters when you're coming from behind don't you think?

There is also the fact that Apple -products generally hold their value very well.

Really? Many have to return said products because components break. Especially their poorly designed power cables which cost around $25-$30 bucks.

Cracks me up how almost every MacBook owner also owns an iPad. There is a need to still have a laptop if you are going to have an iPad. The laptop isn't as simple as a tablet. Surface is the perfect solution. Best of both worlds. I guess Apple is still making money, good for them, no good for the customer.

Actually you will find they own a Mac Book, iPad, iPod and iPhone all together.

Iris Graphics too much to hope for with the i7 model? 

Can't wait

I have more important things to spend my money on. I guess I wont be buying a 2000$ tablet that's going to be obsolete in a few months.

I wish Microsoft would make a Surface or accessory for it with a hinge! I need a hinge.

Damn. Just bought 257Gb Pro2 last month

I still think they are pricing these things too high

I want to know where Broadwell is. No one wants another Haswell variant. If that i7 is fanless with 12" active bezel in a footprint and weight the size of an S2. I'll drop that coin in a split second.

i think they will do almost exactly that. they will make the SP3 as thin as the non-Pro Surface, but they will keep the battery life the same by enlarging the chassis. this will mean that the old type/touch covers look weird with it, but they will be backwards compatible. I somehow doubt they can do fanless with an i7, but if so then I am so there. well, I am there either way, trading my SP2 for an i7 SP3.

yall are comparing apples to oranges this computer will be a beast atleast 2k I heard it might e 4k screen, one computer to rule them all, tablet, laptop, and desktop, its in the macbook arena 

At least 2k? So at least 1080p, but possibly 1440p...

Implying from what the article is saying, I'm expecting more of a surface pro+ than a surface pro 3. It just doesn't make sense in my head to do a refresh this early when the processor hasn't been bumped to the next Gen. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

It's called Surface Pro 3, no question.

I see. I guess I misinterpreted what I read. Thanks for the confirmation. Still seems crazy to me, but bring it on!
 

IM SO READY TO UPGRADE!!!!!!!!!!! GAAAAAAH!!!! SO THIS IS IT?? THIS IS THE FALL LINE UP FOR SURFACE??  SOMEONE ANSWER ME!!!!!!!!!  I WANT THIS TO COME OUT AT LEAST NEXT MONTH.

They need to have the same price as the MacBook Air 11", plus a free type cover.

I hope this releases in Europe by August. My B-School starts from Aug 25 and I had decided on the 512GB Surface Pro 2 until I read this article. Also saw someone asking for LTE, so does that mean the existing SP2s don't have LTE? My budget is 2000 Euros including type keyboard, arc mouse, ethernet accessory, HDMI out accessory and Office365 university. I want 512GB. Please advice. I am eligible for student discount.

This was going to be an instant purchase for me if they had an i7, 16GB model. Perfect light weight developer machine. I am surprised they don't have a 16GB option.

I'm actually curious as to why there aren't really any dramatic changes or evolutions for memory DIMMs as the years go by, or am I missing something completely? I feel like they are still pretty pricey on their own...

So, they may have Surface Pro 2 at 10.6, and a line of Surface Pro 3 at 12.2 or something?

As long as it has internal/built in housing for the pen I will buy. Honestly, been hoping for that since Surface Pro 2

I skipped the Pro 2 because it wasn't worth the upgrade. Hope the Pro 3 impresses..

Why so expensive? I want to buy the i5 8gb RAM. :'(((

Why not get an older Gen then?

Surface is getting way too expensive. I'm done trying to get one

Actually surface pro 2 was 899 for 32gig last year I think. Surf3 is 799 with 64gig. Wortha.

I believe the Pro line has always started at 64gb, with only the RT line starting at 32gb.

I wonder what's new. Did they make it thinner? That would just make it louder since no new CPUs have been released yet. Haswell CPUs got a "refresh" with very slight bumps in speed for the same price. Power usage is the same. 

maybe finally there is a tablet I want to buy. 12" is great if it comes in 16:10. please make it thinner with a built-in pen silo.

I still carry all my pens and pencils in my pockets, is that bad? =/

how many pens have you lost in the past year? I have lost 2 surface stylus, $30 a pop.

I feel if it comes as i7 with 512GB, 16GB RAM and 14-15 inch screen and I'm up for it, but they need tp bring down the price..

You could do something about bringing the price of components down but a LOT of people would be very unhappy with you... Maybe just wait for the collapse of society to make the value of silicon go down? =[

Surface mini price ?

Guys remember the Surface Pro has a Wacom digitizer and pen. Comparing these prices to ultrabooks without digitizer tech is not a like to like comparison. If u take a look at the prices for Lenovo's Thinkpad Yoga & HP's Elitepad 1000 series and Fujitsu's wagon tablets u'll realize that these prices may not be as ridiculous as u think.

I promise not to complain until after official introduction. If sp3 meets my expectations, the high end is for me! I want a true laptop/desktop replacement & I'm happy to pay for top quality! I'll save my money until I have the cash. MS, please don't disappoint me now!

Pricing is set to compete with the MacBook. Both are premium devices.

 the Windows button being located on the vertical side, as opposed to horizontal. 

This baffles me. Too me it'd throw off the whole semetry of the device. Not sure why they wouldn't just leave it on the bottom "horizontal"  of the device like every other product. Unless i'm reading this wrong....  

For this price you will get a gaming laptop with much higher specs

What is a size and weight of gaming laptop?

14 inches, 2.2kg Lenovo y40 gaming laptop

Too expensive.. :(

Crazy pricing....

A 64 GB iPad is $699, and a 64 GB surface pro 3 is $799. And the surface pro 3 might come with lte.

Pretty awesome. I always wanted one but I can't afford it Posted via Windows Phone Central App

M waiting for surface to launch in India with decent reasonable price. Sure will be lucky to get one.

I'd been hoping that SP3 would just be a thinner, lighter, fanless version of the SP2.

Well, get on Intel to make better chips! =P

This will not sell in Australia, people can say it is "worth the money" as much as they like but at those prices this will not sell. Ultimately your average Joe, which is the majority of your market share, is going to compare a tablet to a tablet and the entry level model, based on that pricing, looks to be more expensive than a top of the line iPad. This, quite simply, will not sell here. Especially not the top model, hell, it's US price is far more expensive than top of the line ultra books (and Macbooks), and certainly any other tablet. Again, you can argue features until you are blue in the face, the consumer is buying a tablet, because its a tablet, this will bomb.

So are they just not going to d do Touch covers anymore? I really liked the implementation and design ideas of them and the second Gen were a dramatic improvement over the first...I imagine one day being able to carry a keyboard as a thin plastic film that you can essentially roll out and type on, like how in Sci-fi movies the glass desktop is a keyboard sometimes..? =D

Bout the original Surface Pro 128 GB last year. I wanted something that worked like a tablet, but I could completely use for doing school work. I considered an iPad, however, when I compared specs with price, compared to what it could do, the Surface Pro was the better deal for what I needed and still do. With the Surface Pro I spent $899 for the device itself, $125 for the type cover, $35 for an extra pen, and $99 for two year extended warranty. The iPad with similar storage specs $799, (without expandable storage, USB port, full version of Office, or removable battery), $80 for a decent keyboard, no pen, and about $200 for comparable warranty. The way I saw it, I could install the free Office my school gave me, that allows me to do everything I need to do for classes, expand the memory (USB drive, portable drive or microSD) larger screen, and multi-task. Comparing the perks, I was willing to give up battery life and the lightness of the iPad for having the benefit fit of a full PC in tablet form, and comparing the price, there wasn't that much of a difference, when I added everything up. There was less than a $150 price difference. That may seem like a big difference to some, but compare the specs and things you can do, it was worth it, IMO. Quite frankly, comparing the two devices, I realized that comparing the Surface Pro to iPad was like comparing a Macbook Air to an Android tablet. Two totally different devices, with two totally different functions and purposes. I could have opted for a cheaper route and just bought a laptop, but I wanted a PC with tablet features. Many of the laptops I looked at did not have touch screen, which is best suited for Windows 8.x. When I read my eBooks for class, you are forced to read in landscape, and sometimes I prefer to do portrait, because I can get more page on the screen. I also realize, I had the money to spend on such a device and decided to go with both function and my personal desire in getting what I wanted. Some people opt for cheaper and less function, but it does what they need it to do. I can't fault them for that. People like myself, want what we want.

This is the most rational post I have read so far. I share your sentiments.

I was floating in the same boat as you. The sp was the best investment in school productivity. IPad doesn't even compare. I only carried my sp to class, no need for anything else since it does everything. The pen is one of the best parts about it, wouldn't you say?

Microsoft is insane if they think they can charge these prices for a tablet PC with a 10.6" screen that only gets 7 hours of battery life.

Please refer me to an equivalent alternative that gives me the exact value (form factor and functionality) at a cheaper price.

Will people ditch windows pc for surface. I find very expensive

Sheesh. As awesome as these Surface devices are shaping up to be, they are way to pricey to be competitive, in my opinion.  I've been really hoping to get at least a Surface Pro 2, but I just can't stomach that price.

I would really like a red one...

Lol, I am a big fan of MS, Surface is a great piece of HW, but in my opinion very expensive. The cheapest version for 799 USD with 64GB ssd Only - in reality only 40 GB available (20GB for Win 8)?   799USD for a 10 inch tablet ? How much USD do I have to pay more for docking station, mouse, memory card, cover, etc ? In other words to transform tablet into ultrabook ?  i3-4GB RAM-64GB - $799  No, thank you MS. Surface is not worth my money.  I would rather buy Lenovo Yoga. Tablet is not for work, only for "content consuming" . With Yoga I can have both

Wooo keep us posted! -- Bam --

Looks like I'll have to sleep with someone at Microsoft just get one of them with those prices ¬_¬

When and if these comes to Europe you can add at least 20% to the price which makes them more than over priced.

I hope they don't have any supply issues like they did with the Surface Pro 2? I really wanted the 256gb/8gb version but it wasn't in stock anywhere for ages. Even online I couldn't get one, so I'd settled for an 128gb/4gb instead.

Too expensive

Don't really care about the big tablets.  Hopefully MS will crap out a few smaller tablets.  I would love a smaller 8 inch tablet.  Something that would be a good alternative to the dell or lenovo. 

Those are a normal prices for well made ultrabooks, those are quite good prices for well made convertible ultrabooks. If it won't have such big issues as have currently convertible ultrabooks (as dell xps 12, yoga 2 pro, thinkpad yoga and few others) then I will buy it.

This is how I would see the spec sheet for a surface pro 3 i3-4GB RAM-64GB – $250 i5-4GB RAM-128GB – $500 i5-8GB RAM-256GB – $800 (if real world use of at least userbased feedback of 8-10 hours continuous use on a single charge can be managed then I could forgive a 1000 dollar price point) i7-8GB RAM-256GB – $1000 i7-8GB RAM-512GB – $1100 (if real world use of at least userbased feedback of 14-16 hours continuous use on a single charge can be managed then I could forgive a 1300 dollar price point) I'm basing this on my experiences with my surface pro 1

I have a SP2. Will give it to my wife when SP3 is released and getting my daughter a Surface Mini. They have Android Tablets need to get rid of that garbage. I'll be at the Microsoft Store on launch day.

I think maybe 1 or 2 people would buy one in Australia...especially since tech is usually up to 50% more expensive. God I love this "lucky" country.

Awesome. i5 8gb w/256 is spot on.

Just got my Surface 2 4G recently. Definitely going to buy whatever they reveal during this annoucement. Looking forward to it! I want the i7 512GB :)

These are the #'s I want 16:10 (1920x1200 min.), 2in1 design, USB2 x1 & USB3 x1 on tablet, repeat USB ports + extra battery + SPDIF i/o + stylus silo on illuminated keyboard.

These things are too expensive. Microsoft needs to undercut Apple at all costs while there allies undercut Android on the tablet space. I read that $60 wintablets are coming this year so here's to hoping

Would like a 13" screen with a super thin bezel so it can be used properly as a laptop whilst still being holdable.  

This is great news!!  Was going to get a Pro 2 this week, but I'll wait to see what is officially announced at the event. I'm hoping for the 12 inch range and that the release will happen ASAP!

Priced not to sale.

if this is true for an 8" tablet, you must be crasy 42 million in 2014 i america have 2 jobs and still can not put food into there body expected 125 million people in 2018 ,, only in america  eupa is around 75 million people where is that cheap tablet like the androids has Microsoft    

Never happen man, you do understand i5 alone costs at least $150+ ram, ssd, case, screen..make it almost $300 and marketing fee, distributor fee. How could you sell it at $500? Surface rt might fit your bill though. Android and ipad tablets use cheap components, cant compare. I hope to see surface Atom to start thinking getting one.

I will be possibly buying the 8" version.

I think ms still doesnt get it, people keep comparing surface pro with ipad, and sp is a lot more expensive. No sale. Surface mini with atom cpu + winpro is a must have. No more haswell surface, please, no sale for its bad battery performance. I hope they had only surface mini + 1 atom sp pro to show this time. Wait till broadwell coming out for the real sp3 pro lineup.

Anyone that compares a Surface Pro to an iPad should just get the iPad or some Android tablet. That person obviously does NOT belong to the target market for the Surface Pro, geez!

I love my Surface 2 and I'm excited for Tuesday to see the new tablet offerings :-)

These prices are very Apple-like...

I hate to say it, but I have the original surface for over a year. I just went with a macbook air, and am definitely liking it more. Mostly because of the battery life and the fact I can use it on my lap (plus a bigger screen, and virtually the same weight). When the Surface Pro can get skinnier, better battery life, and have some kind of keyboard dock that allows for lap use, I'll come back to it.

People, the bottom line is.... if you can afford to drive  a Massari, then buy a Massari.  If not, then get a Toyota. end of discussion!

First, what the hell is a 'Massari'? do you mean a 'Maserati', second, I find spending that much on any device obscene.  I bought a Nexus 7 which for the money is a treat to use.  M$ need to get with the program and release a £200 surface.

I want a surface pro 2 but so far still can't afford it. Still can't even afford the surface pro.

Me thinks (and hopes) that these are of the laptop variety. I'd sell my MBP for a 13" Surface Pro.

Must be cool to own one of these Surface Pro now .  Today, I saw 3 Surface Pros, and 5 MacBook Pro at a local Starbucks store. Great job Microsoft! 

There should be 2 different Surface Pro 3 chassis, a fanless thin chassis with Y series processors and a thick chassis for the power users.

none of them should cost over $500... it's stuped, yet mindless yahoos will line up for them. sigh

I will stick with my SP2 for a while. It runs 2 monitors when used as desktop without any problems, does what I need it to do and is small enough to make flying a breeze... If LTE was a feature on the SP3, I might be slightly compelled, but not id the size if the device increases. A 10 inch screen is perfectly fine for working on the go.

This is great news!  If tablets keep getting more and more expensive, we don't have to worry about the demise of the desktop PC business and no one is going to want to pay more for a tiny tablet than a higher performance desktop! Microsoft must think the" Apple tax" scheme will work for Microsoft products.  

I'll gladly be that no one.

Between higher prices and slowing of tablet sales (market saturation and people coming to their senses)  I'm not worried.   As long as people like you 'gladly" pony up increasingly exhorbitant amounts of money for these, then the prices will keep going up.  I mean, really, a $400 price jump to go from 256GB to 512GB SSD?  They think this is 2010?

There are cheaper tablets(android and chromebook) for you to choose from.  Go at it!

I will also be another "no one" to be in line for my Surface Pro3, with i7.  Heck, I will be standing on the corner to beg money to buy this baby.

Snap! I was ready to buy about a month ago, then daughter had an accident, using my surface budget for car repair. Life is good. Two to three months from now, I'll have bonus check to pay for a surface 3 and accessories, no compromise. TY Dan for the heads up on this.

Although MS may be struggling in this competition I think they ARE on the right path.  I think they need premium devices that are sexy and desirable in order to compete against Apple. If Surface Pro 3 is in fact a 12 incher, then that is fantastic.  My Surface 2 is a great tablet and great mini computer.  But even better better would be a machine with a more usable 12 inch screen.  12 inch screen, full windows OS, and shave some thickness/weight off, and this device would be awesome.  (And also unaffordable for me for a few years).

when all else fails, make it more expensive. works every time.

The prices are outrages I7 2K I can buy a alienware labtop for that price and do 10x more things.

So true.  But, it seems for people who don't care about spending $2K on a mini 10-12" screen with all sorts of limitations (like you can't upgrade RAM or CPU or SSD) then these type of devices are perfect for them. It's kind of the Apple consumer mentality...give me a laptop I can't upgrade and I'll spend $3000 on it.

Didn't read the article because of spoilers XD   Seems exciting, though

I hope we don't have to wait until Q4 to get these.

does the battery life match up to a 12-hr macbook air ;) 

to expenisve for a i7 i can buy a alienware 14 inch labtop for that price

I think you're missing the portability aspect.

OH MY GOSH!!!

the docking station supports 4K.

Thank god they are ditching RT.

To Microsoft (MS) Pricing Team:- I don't mind paying $999 or $1299, but to pay a $1000 extra (or $2000) for a slightly faster CPU and bigger SSD.     ... this puts this consumer in the "purchasing something else" category. MS, You have put so much empahises and work in your Press Release (and the SurfacePro3) ... and you'r asking consumers to pay $2000 for a $1000 Tablet, for a bit more processing power and storage? Yes I like the Surface Pro3, I don't need any extra processing power BUT I do need the larger SSD ... and YOU asking me to pay ($1000xtra) 2000 dollars for it, just to be able to own a SurfacePro3 ?!? Sorry Microsoft, your pricing model is 'way off the mark' on this one ! ... and what's more, also don't appreciate the $200 higher price tag for Australia; especially when our Dolllars are near parity and (bulk-container) shipping costs would not be more than 50cents per unit.

Do portible hard drives work with Surfaces? I would assume so...

Leve, pratico e funcional!

Is