Microsoft Reveals 12-Inch Surface Pro 3

Microsoft today revealed the Surface Pro 3 tablet, which the company touted as "the tablet that can replace your laptop."

You can pre-order one Wednesday; the U.S. release is June 20 with a worldwide release in late August. Starting at $799, the tablet will be available in three configurations: with an Intel Core i3, Core i5, or Core i7 processor. The i3 version will be on sale in June, with Core i5 and i7 coming in August.

Though many thought Redmond would reveal a small Surface, Microsoft actually went bigger with a 12-inch Surface tablet device. But it is lighter than the Surface Pro 2 at 800g and is only 9.1mm, the thinnest Intel Core product ever made, Microsoft said.

The Surface Pro 3 sports a 2,160-by-1,440 display, which Panos Panay, head of Microsoft's Surface division, said provides the "highest contrast ratios in the industry." That's important, he said, because it means your eyes will get "less tired" as you work.

He dropped the Surface Pro 3 from shoulder height to the carpeted stage floor below to show off its durability.

Panay compared the Surface Pro 3 to the 13-inch MacBook Air. Despite a smaller screen, the new Surface allows for 6 percent more content on the display than the Apple laptop, he said.

Panay pointed to stats that said 96 percent of people with iPads also have a laptop. "There's a reason for that," he said: tablets are for kicking back and watching movies or using apps, while laptops are "designed to get stuff done."

With Microsoft's new Surface Pro 3, the company is focusing on "taking that conflict away," he said.

:story: PC Magazine