Tablets are great for consuming entertainment, while laptops and other full PCs are required to actually create those works, or so the conventional wisdom goes. Some substitute the charged word "productivity" for creation, but the pitch is the same. You need one device for A, B, and C, and another for X, Y, and Z.
That means there's a sizable group of people out there spending at least part of the time lugging around a laptop and a tablet simultaneously. I've been guilty of that, usually packing a 13-inch ultrabook or MacBook Air and an iPad into my carry-on bag for airline flights.
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With the new Surface Pro 3 from Microsoft, the software powerhouse (and occasional hardware maker) says it finally has the single grand unified device that will satisfy both the creation and consumption instincts equally. You'll feel just as at home watching a movie or reading a book as you will editing video footage or writing your novel.
That's largely the same pitch, of course, we got for the Surface Pro and Surface Pro 2 tablets, which points to the difficulty in translating the full Windows 8.1 experience freely between a laptop and tablet. Dozens of our hands-on reviews of devices ranging from 8-inch slates to 13-inch two-in-one hybrids back this up, as does the mixed reception to the first two generations of the Surface Pro.
Both of those devices, as well as the Surface Pro 3, at least begin with the right idea and smartly lean toward the laptop side of the tablet spectrum, including Intel Core i-series CPUs and keyboard covers designed to feel more like laptop keyboards.
With the Surface Pro 3, starting at $799 or £639 for an Intel Core i3 CPU and a 64GB SSD, we can see the thinking at Microsoft start to lean even more toward the laptop side, with a new kickstand and touch cover that allow you to work at almost any angle. Our review configuration is upgraded to a Core i5 CPU and 256GB SSD, which costs $1,299 or £1,109, while the type cover keyboard is an additional $129 or £110.
The new Surface Pro is thinner than its predecessors, with a larger, higher-resolution screen. On that mark alone, it outshines the Pro and Pro 2. The internal specs and performance are largely similar to the Pro 2, but that means it's still just as fast as any current-gen premium laptop.
With the generation-over-generation tweaks to the design, especially the hinge and keyboard, you can see a dedicated push towards advancing the cause of practical usability. It's not entirely there yet, and it's still a leap to say this will be a true laptop replacement for most people, but the Surface Pro 3 is the first Surface device I feel confident in saying I could get away with using as a primary PC.
| Microsoft Surface Pro 3 | Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 2 Pro | MacBook Air 13-inch (June 2013) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price as reviewed | $1,299 | $999 | $1,099 |
| Display size/resolution | 12-inch, 2,160 x 1,440 touch screen | 13.3-inch, 3,200 x 1,800 touch screen | 13.3-inch, 1,440 x 900 screen |
| PC CPU | 1.9GHz Intel Core i5 4300U | 1.6GHz Intel Core i5 4200U | 1.3GHz Intel Core i5 4250U |
| PC Memory | 8GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz | 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz | 4GB DDR3 SDRAM 1,600MHz |
| Graphics | 1,792MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 4400 | 1,792MB (shared) Intel HD Graphics 4400 | 1,024MB Intel HD Graphics5000 |
| Storage | 256GB SSD hard drive | 128GB SSD hard drive | 128GB SSD hard drive |
| Optical drive | None | None | None |
| Networking | 802.11a/c wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 | 802.11b/g/n wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 | 802.11a/c wireless, Bluetooth 4.0 |
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 (64-bit) | Windows 8.1 (64-bit) | OSX Mountain Lion 10.8.4 |
