The Surface 3 arrives with a more accessible price
Microsoft launched the Surface Pro 3 in June 2014. After a broad advertising campaign, some details about its WiFi and a rather uncomfortable initial price, Redmond has achieved very interesting adoption levels on the other side of the pond, but over the months, many users began to wonder what would happen with the standard edition. Well, the Surface 3 will be among us very soon, with more modest specifications, a much more attractive price, and Windows 8.1... x86 version.
Legend says that users should never buy first-generation products. The problems associated with initial hardware revisions can be very large, ruining what could become a very popular product line. In the case of the Surface series, Microsoft needed a total of three generations to get close to its ideal: a hybrid capable of replacing laptops and tablets alike. During this evolutionary process, very strange mutations emerged, such as Windows RT, which caused massive financial losses. For now, all official spokespeople have refused to announce the death of Windows RT. In fact, the plan seems to be to transfer some of Windows 10's features through a special update... but nothing more than that. Either way, Windows RT is already an orphaned platform, and the confirmation of this is the launch of the Surface 3, with Windows 8.1 and Intel x86 hardware inside.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/WAxH0YHdTuA
622 grams, 8.7 millimeters thick, a 10.8-inch panel with a resolution of 1920 by 1280 pixels and 64 GB of storage set the base of its specifications, however, the new Atom x7 chip deserves a special mention. We are looking at one of the first representatives with Cherry Trail cores, which in turn are members of the Airmont architecture, a "compression" at 14 nanometers of Silvermont. In total there are four cores at 1.6 GHz, which manage to stay within a thermal threshold low enough for Microsoft to abandon conventional coolers and cool it passively. In other words, the Atom x7 offers decent performance while generating less heat and allowing for a thinner and quieter design. Depending on the configuration, RAM is 2 or 4 GB, but if you choose the higher option, you'll get 128 GB of internal storage.
Microsoft also highlights battery life, around ten hours for video playback, and the design of its exterior, for which it took many ideas from the Pro version, although its stand is limited to three positions. The cheapest entry point to the Surface 3 is $499, but everything seems to indicate that in Spain it will be something similar to 599 euros, the typical "European tax" we will never understand. The dollar price with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage is $599, and those who need LTE support will have to pay $100 more. The keyboard remains an optional accessory, and there are details about a docking station with additional ports at $199. Sales begin between May 5 and 7.
