It was a smart move, I think: With this new shape, the tablet feels less top-heavy in portrait mode, and it's easier to reach things with your thumbs in landscape. During his keynote, Panay said the company was actively trying to mimic the dimensions of a legal pad, the sort of object humans are already used to holding, and working with. The result is a substantially thinner device that might not have been possible had Microsoft stuck with a 10.6-inch screen size.Īdditionally, the new Surface Pro has a different aspect ratio: 3:2, instead of the usual 16:9. Think about it: With more internal space to work with, the engineers were able to rearrange the components, laying some items side by side instead of stacking them on top of each other. For one thing, blowing up the screen size actually allowed Microsoft to slim down the proportions. Also, there's this: Despite that bigger screen - or maybe because of it - the Surface Pro 3 handles better than its predecessors. That said, it's definitely lighter than a 12-inch tablet has any right to be. Truly, why can't all Ultrabooks be this easy to carry?Īs a tablet, of course, the Surface Pro still doesn't feel particularly light you don't just forget what it feels like to use a lighter device like the iPad Air. In fact, I was loath to go back to my 13-inch MacBook Air after my review was over the new Surface is just so much lighter. Next to those systems, the Surface Pro 3 is impossibly compact. Even the 11-inch MacBook Air, which benefits from a smaller footprint, tips the scales at 2.38 pounds. Most 13-inch Ultras come in at around three pounds and half an inch thick (if they're lucky). The Surface Pro's thinness seems even more impressive when you compare it to its peers: full-fledged Ultrabooks. And even if it's not, it's still a meaningful improvement - both the first- and second-generation Surface Pros weighed two pounds. It may also be the lightest too, at 1.76 pounds. In fact, Microsoft says this is the thinnest machine with an Intel Core i7 processor. This is stunning when you remember the Surface 2 is a traditional tablet, comparable to the iPad, whereas the Surface Pro is basically an Ultrabook without a built-in keyboard. It's not just the color, though, that makes me think of the Surface 2: The Surface Pro 3 measures just 0.36 inch thick, making it only a tad fatter than the Windows RT model that guy comes in at 0.35 inch wide. This year, Microsoft ditched the old carbon-black color in favor of a more playful silver, though the chassis itself is still made of sturdy magnesium alloy, with chamfered edges making it easy to wrap your fingers around. Physically speaking, the Surface Pro 3 has more in common with the Surface 2, which runs Windows RT, than with previous Surface Pros. Panay even went so far as to say, "Today we take the conflict away." Did they, though? All told, the Surface Pro 3 is Microsoft's biggest, fastest, thinnest, lightest, best tablet yet. Just as important, the device will start at $799 when it goes on sale next month - that's a hundred dollars less than last year's model. As a tablet, meanwhile, the Surface Pro 3 is thinner and lighter than the Surface Pro 2, despite having a bigger display. The keyboard has been born again too, this time with a larger, more responsive touchpad and the ability to prop it up at a more comfortable angle. Most notably, this third-gen device steps up to a larger, 12-inch screen, bringing it in line with contemporary Ultrabooks. When he finally did get to the point, he unveiled not a laptop, but a tablet, the Surface Pro 3. For most people, a touchscreen laptop was still the better choice.Įven so, that wasn't Panay conceding defeat up there on stage - that was him being persistent. The Surface Pro in particular was powerful enough to rival Ultrabooks, but suffered from several usability flaws: It was awkward to use in the lap, and also unwieldy as a tablet. And both times, the company fell short of its mission. Indeed, Microsoft has had multiple chances to prove it can bridge the divide between slates and laptops: Both the first- and second-gen Surface tablets were intended as do-it-all devices. For a moment, it seemed like Panay was conceding defeat. A quick scan around the room revealed rows of journalists, all typing on Ultrabooks - including the MacBook Air, no less. At a press event, Surface chief Panos Panay took the stage to remind the reporters in attendance how they once said tablets would make laptops obsolete. It didn't last long, but there was a moment earlier this week when I was sure Microsoft would unveil its own laptop.
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