Microsoft launches Surface Pro 3 - Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 puts Kibosh on Tablets with Apple having to make a larger Keyboard iPad

“We are not building hardware for hardware's sake. We want to build experiences that bring together all the capabilities of the company”

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella commenting on the importance of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Strategy to Microsoft's Long Term vision of Computing

Microsoft has just dropped a Tsar Bomba Thermonuclear Bomb on the Apple MacBook Air. Queue the Mushroom Cloud Rising as shown in the Video Below.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella return is truly infusing more Common-Sense into Microsoft, with the last decision he made being to allow Free Group Calling on Skype as stated in my blog article entitled “How to make a Free Group Call in Skype – Google+ officially a Ghost Town Again as Microsoft gears up for WhatsApp free VoIP Calling in June 2014”.

This as on Tuesday May 20^th 2014 they launched the Microsoft Surface Pro 3, the successor to the  Microsoft Surface Pro 2 with the boast that it could replace BOTH your Tablet and your Laptop as stated in “Microsoft: Surface Pro 3 will replace your laptop”, published May 20, 2014 8:20 AM PDT by Don Reisinger , CNET News

This is big news, folks, as the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 goes on sale on Wednesday May 21^st 2014, Microsoft hopes that the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 will wean many off the Apple iPad and their Laptops and carry their device alone to do the work of both as opined in “Surface Pro 3: How Microsoft wants to kill off the PC”, published May 21, 2014 12:29 PM PDT by Donna Tam, CNET News. 

So big that it made The Jamaica Observer as reported in “Microsoft: No need for laptop with its new tablet”, published Tuesday, May 20, 2014 2:47 PM, The Jamaica Observer. Microsoft has finally made a Microsoft Surface Tablet, which, based on the specs and expected performance, can justify a price tag in the same range as the Apple Macbook Air:

1.      12 inch screen compared to the Microsoft Surface Pro 2's 10.6 inch screen

2.      12% lighter than the Microsoft Surface Pro 2

3.      32% thinner than the Microsoft Surface Pro 2

4.      Faster and more power-efficient Intel Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 Processor

5.      Kickstand that can bend through up to 150 Degrees

6.      Screen Resolution of 2,160 x 1,440 resolution, surpassing 1080p Displays

7.      Support for USB 3.0

8.      US$130 Tactile Keyboard Cover

9.      Weight of 800g, lighter than the Apple's MacBook Air

10.  Windows 8.1

11.  US$50 Microsoft Surface Pro 3 Stylus that has the weight and feel of a regular pen

Microsoft puts the Kibosh on the Tablet – Surface Pro 3 Bridges the Tablet/Laptop Divide

I should have known Microsoft had something else up its sleeve after they’d made their debut at the Computer Human Interaction Conference in Toronto, Canada with an Air Gesture Keyboard  and  Touchless Touch Screen Technology as detailed in my blog article entitled “Microsoft debut at the Computer Human Interaction Conference - Touchless Touch Screen Technology and Air Gesture Keyboard are Almost Human Interactions with Machines”.

The spectacle of the secret product launch aside, what those specs means is that it has the same performance power as a Laptop in a Tablet form Factor. That means instead of playing Games and viewing content, the traditional domain of the Apple iPad and other Tablets, it can get actual Desktop and Laptop PC work done i.e. Microsoft Office Suite and Work Online.

In tablet mode, you can get work done using the US$50 Stylus that you can purchase along with your Microsoft Surface Pro 3 as stated in “Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 Pen simplifies the stylus”, published May 20, 2014 By Malarie Gokey, DigitalTrends. In the Regular Laptop mode, the convenient Kickstand can be folded into any position and once you have the US$130 Tactile Keyboard Cover, you can comfortably type on any surface, anywhere just as you do with a Regular Laptop.

Not certain at that point in the Air Gesture Keyboard  and  Touchless Touch Screen Technology as detailed in my blog article entitled “Microsoft debut at the Computer Human Interaction Conference - Touchless Touch Screen Technology and Air Gesture Keyboard are Almost Human Interactions with Machines” will be a featured part of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 but it is a strong possibility, opening up the device’s acceptance among the more creative and Graphic Oriented among and not just Reporters.

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 can do heavy Graphics Work, based on the demonstration that used Adobe PhotoShop made especially for the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. With this performance Boost and increased Screen size and resolution, it’s basically more worth the hefty price tag. 

Much better than the very first version of the Microsoft Surface that made its debut in June 2012 two years prior as chronicled in my blog article entitled “Microsoft debuts Windows 8 with new Surface Tablets - PixelSense rebranding as the Dark Knight Rises to defeat PC World”.

Even without seeing the full specs, the Processor alone suggests that this is going to be a powerful energy efficient sexy beast as noted in “With Pro 3, Can Microsoft's Surface finally break through?” published May 20, 2014 4:45 PM PDT by Tim Stevens, CNET News.

This device falls in the same class as the US$999 Ideapad Yoga 2 Pro as described in my Geezam blog article entitled “US$999 Ideapad Yoga 2 Pro is a quirky Windows 8.1 Ultraboook with an Ultra-HD Screen” but sporting five options whose prices vary according to Processor, RAM and SSD (Solid State Drive) size:

1.      Intel Core i3 costs US$799

2.      Intel Core i5 costs US$999 (£590, AU$1,080) to US$1,299 (£770, AU$1,400)

3.      Intel Core i7 costs US$1,949 (£1160, AU$2,100) 

The Surface Pro 3 goes on sale in the Third Quarter of 2014 in five configurations ranging from US$799 to $1,949, with the optional Keyboard ('cause you'll need that!) for an additional US$130.  The Microsoft Surface Pro 2 got a US$100 price increase to US$899 along with improved Processor Speed.

Stay tuned for more information on the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 as if it can do all as promised, even at that elevated price, this is sure to force Apple’s hand and make a Bigger Apple iPad with a Cover that doubles as a Keyboard as prophesied in my blog article entitled “Apple rumoured to be making a Laptop sized Tablet with a Built in Keyboard - Windows 8 Microsoft Surface and Chromebooks Barbarians after Bill Gates Rising Tide”.