It’s summed up by Panos Panay, the corporate vice president, of Microsoft Surface.
Spec wise it’s below the existing Surface 3.
For me the main thing about this is the price and the fact it runs full on Windows. It’ll be a really flexible device. It’s ideal for students, schools, mobile professionals and anyone looking for a portable device to get things done. There is also a 4G LTE-ready version, which will help with mobility. Prices for the Surface 3 start at just £419. Windows 10 will also be coming to the Surface 3 as well.
Personally I’m quite interested in this, it offers a lower price point Surface, that in itself offers a lightweight and more portable computing solution to the more traditional laptop. Pre orders for the Microsoft Surface 3 open today. For more information and to pre order just head over to the UK Surface page here.
London, UK — March 31, 2015 —Microsoft Corp. is introducing a new Surface, the Surface 3. Like Surface Pro 3, it’s a tablet that can replace your laptop but is thinner, lighter and even more affordable. Powerful and efficient, Surface 3 is optimised to run full Windows and Office and features long battery life. The ability to run Windows apps and the versatile pen experience1 — great for taking notes or marking documents — make Surface 3 ideal for students, schools, mobile professionals and anyone looking for a portable device to get things done. A 4G LTE-ready version,2 Surface 3 (4G LTE), will offer even more mobility. Starting at just £419, Surface 3 packs performance and value into an elegant, lightweight design.
“Surface 3 brings what customers love about Surface Pro 3 to more people, delivering the premium design and productivity of Surface in a more affordable device,” said Panos Panay, corporate vice president, Microsoft Surface. “We’ve taken everything we learned making Surface Pro 3 and poured that innovation into this newest Surface. It’s beautiful, versatile, powerful and productive, and our customers are going to love what it lets them do.”
Productivity and portability
Powered by the new quad-core Intel® Atom™ x7 processor,3 Surface 3is quick and responsive but designed to maximise efficiency with up to 10 hours of video-playback battery life.4 A range of storage and memory configurations gives people choice in power and capacity. The beautiful 10.8-inch ClearType HD multi-touch display featuring 3:2 aspect ratio, stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio-enhanced sound, and the elegant and durable magnesium design are just a few of the benefits of Surface 3 that customers will recognise from Surface Pro 3. The three-position kickstand is ideal for using Surface 3 while working at a desk, sitting on a couch or holding in the palm of a hand as a natural writing surface. And with Surface 3 (4G LTE), anyone who needs connectivity on the go can get Internet access wherever their tasks take them.
Free upgrade to Windows 10
To help people get even more done, Surface 3 and Surface 3 (4G LTE) ship with full Windows 8.1 and can be upgraded to Windows 10 for free when available. They also come complete with a one-year subscription ofMicrosoft Office 365 Personal, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus OneDrive cloud storage.6Full device specs are available here.
Built for business
And with Surface 3, businesses and schools will now enjoy a broader array of options. Even before its availability, educational institutions such as University of Phoenix and companies such as Prada, BASF and Emirates have committed to purchasing and deploying Surface 3 across their organisations because they see the value Surface 3 can bring to their employees and students. “Having explored multiple platforms, we are confident that the Surface 3 meets the expectations of our experienced and professional flight crew,” said Captain Alan Stealey, Divisional Senior Vice President, Flight Operations, Emirates. “The device’s innovative design and functionality proves to be the choice for our EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) initiative.”
Surface accessories
Surface 3 and Surface 3 (4G LTE) can be paired with new accessories7:Surface 3 Type Cover is offered in a variety of colours and features an improved trackpad and responsive keyset for fast, accurate typing, alongside four vibrant Surface Pencolours — silver, black, blue and red. The Surface 3 Docking Station lets people easily connect to an external monitor and all their desktop devices, and Surface 3’s full-size USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort, microSD™ card reader and Micro USB charging port make it compatible with the Surface Pro line of adapters and ready for quick and easy connections to a variety of accessories. Surface accessories specifics can be found here.
Pre-order and availability
Surface 3 and new accessories will be available for pre-order starting March 31 through microsoftstore.co.uk. Retailers in the UK include Currys PCWorld, John Lewis, Argos, Staples,Very.co.uk and Littlewoods. Commercial customers should contact their authorised reseller for pre-order information.
Starting May 7 through those same retailers and resellers, UK customers can begin purchasing Surface 3, Surface 3 Type Cover, Surface Pen, Surface 3 Docking Station and Surface 3 Screen Protector. Microsoft will have more to share on Surface 3 (4G LTE) availability in the coming months.
Surface 3 will be available in the following markets: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Korea, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.
