To top off our cavalcade of Surface coverage today, I present a very quick walk-through of the Surface Pro 3 with a special guest star. So far, the laplet (laptop-tablet) is quite an improvement over the original Surface.
Make no mistake: This is a full PC. It has a powerful Intel Core processor — this model contains an i5 and runs as fast as any Windows 8 laptop. The improved hinge is unusual in that it can fold almost all the way back, a clever way to make it more lap-friendly. It has minimal ports — a USB 3.0 and MicroSD slot along with a DisplayPort — and most of the features are focused around cloud access to your files and on-board editing tasks. It is a tablet made for work rather than a tablet retrofitted for work.
Does that mean it can replace a full laptop? It all depends on how you’ll use this. I haven’t put it on a plane yet, and the seat back tray test is important simply because the previous Surface was messy when it came to using the device in confined spaces.
So far I’m really pleased with the Surface. This is Microsoft’s Platonic ideal for what an 8.1 tablet should be, and I think it succeeds in creating a device that balances size, weight, power and power consumption. I think we’re still a long way off from using these sorts of things as our everyday laptops but I, for one, welcome our laplet overlords.
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