Microsoft has officially filled the gap in its tablet line-up left by the demise of the Windows RT-powered Surface family by announcing the Surface 3, a cut-down variant of its full-fat Windows 8.1 Surface Pro 3.
When Microsoft first entered the tablet market, it did so with two very different products: the Surface, which used ARM processors from a small number of approved manufacturers and a cut-down operating system dubbed Windows RT; and the Surface Pro, which used the same design but with an Intel chip and the full-fat Windows 8 operating system. When it announced the impending launch of Windows 10, however, it confessed that Windows RT was for the chop following slow sales and lack of third-party manufacturer uptake. The result: by the third generation of devices, only the Surface Pro family survived.
Now, there's a new non-Pro Surface: the Surface 3. Its announcement late yesterday by Microsoft's Panos Panay, however, does not indicate a reversal of Windows RT's fortunes: the device uses the full-fat Windows 8.1 and an Intel processor, just like the Surface Pro 3. Where it differs is in its specifications, which are significantly lower - with, as you might expect, a knock-on effect for its selling price.
The Surface 3 is described by Microsoft as the 'thinnest and lightest Surface we've ever shipped,' measuring 8.7mm thick with a 622g weight. Based on the design of the Surface Pro 3, the smaller Surface 3 uses the same 3:2 aspect ratio but with a 10.8" diagonal compared to the Surface Pro 3's 12" and with a 1,920x1,280 resolution. The cameras nobody ever really uses on a tablet are present and correct - a 3.5 megapixel front-facing and eight megapixel rear-facing with autofocus - and the three position kickstand that is the Surface family's defining feature.
Internally, the Surface 3 does away with the Intel Core family chips that power the Pro variant in favour of Intel's new Atom x7, a quad-core Cherry Trail part available running at 1.6-2.4GHz with 2GB or 4GB of RAM depending on model purchased. As you might expect from a low-power Atom design, the Surface 3 is fanless and silent-running. Other changes include a micro-USB connector for charging in place of the proprietary magnetic connection of previous models, and a lower price: the 32GB/2GB model starts at £419 with a year's Office Personal Edition subscription, while the 64GB/4GB model is £459. The top-end model, with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, is priced at £499 and will be followed by as-yet unpriced variants with integrated 4G LTE mobile broadband connectivity.
Sadly, not everything has changed. In particular, Microsoft still insists on selling the Touch Cover and Type Cover accessories - the Surface's major selling point, protective covers which double as keyboard and trackpads when the kickstand is in use - separately, rather than bundling them with the tablets. Other optional accessories include the pressure-sensitive Surface Pen and Surface Docking Station.
The Surface 3 family is due to launch on the 7th of May, with more information available from the company's official announcement.
When Microsoft first entered the tablet market, it did so with two very different products: the Surface, which used ARM processors from a small number of approved manufacturers and a cut-down operating system dubbed Windows RT; and the Surface Pro, which used the same design but with an Intel chip and the full-fat Windows 8 operating system. When it announced the impending launch of Windows 10, however, it confessed that Windows RT was for the chop following slow sales and lack of third-party manufacturer uptake. The result: by the third generation of devices, only the Surface Pro family survived.
Now, there's a new non-Pro Surface: the Surface 3. Its announcement late yesterday by Microsoft's Panos Panay, however, does not indicate a reversal of Windows RT's fortunes: the device uses the full-fat Windows 8.1 and an Intel processor, just like the Surface Pro 3. Where it differs is in its specifications, which are significantly lower - with, as you might expect, a knock-on effect for its selling price.
The Surface 3 is described by Microsoft as the 'thinnest and lightest Surface we've ever shipped,' measuring 8.7mm thick with a 622g weight. Based on the design of the Surface Pro 3, the smaller Surface 3 uses the same 3:2 aspect ratio but with a 10.8" diagonal compared to the Surface Pro 3's 12" and with a 1,920x1,280 resolution. The cameras nobody ever really uses on a tablet are present and correct - a 3.5 megapixel front-facing and eight megapixel rear-facing with autofocus - and the three position kickstand that is the Surface family's defining feature.
Internally, the Surface 3 does away with the Intel Core family chips that power the Pro variant in favour of Intel's new Atom x7, a quad-core Cherry Trail part available running at 1.6-2.4GHz with 2GB or 4GB of RAM depending on model purchased. As you might expect from a low-power Atom design, the Surface 3 is fanless and silent-running. Other changes include a micro-USB connector for charging in place of the proprietary magnetic connection of previous models, and a lower price: the 32GB/2GB model starts at £419 with a year's Office Personal Edition subscription, while the 64GB/4GB model is £459. The top-end model, with 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM, is priced at £499 and will be followed by as-yet unpriced variants with integrated 4G LTE mobile broadband connectivity.
Sadly, not everything has changed. In particular, Microsoft still insists on selling the Touch Cover and Type Cover accessories - the Surface's major selling point, protective covers which double as keyboard and trackpads when the kickstand is in use - separately, rather than bundling them with the tablets. Other optional accessories include the pressure-sensitive Surface Pen and Surface Docking Station.
The Surface 3 family is due to launch on the 7th of May, with more information available from the company's official announcement.
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