Temitope
Temitope Akinola
With its third generation of the Surface in just 18 months, Microsoft is desperately trying to eliminate the laptop as the default mobile computing device. The point here is that Microsoft basically wants to, once again, rule the computing world. While the Surface Pro 3 is a step in the right direction, there are still some elements of the tablet world that are proving difficult to melt into the laptop world.
More Like A Laptop
Microsoft has added a few features to the Surface 3 that help to make it more like a laptop. The keyboard add-on is much more comfortable and there is a second magnetic strip on the keyboard that helps to elevate it at an angle, which makes it even easier to use.
The friction hinge on the Surface 3 is durable and offers a much broader range of movement than the previous Surface hinges. The point here is to make the Surface more comfortable on your lap as you use it, and the new friction hinge helps to accomplish that goal.
The Surface 3 also comes with a USB port, a video port and a micro SD port. The landscape keyboard on the screen is larger and it allows for easier use. With all of these features in place, the Surface can come very close to replacing your laptop. But Microsoft still has to work on those nagging issues of more expansion ports and bigger on-board memory.
The Display Is Huge
One of the features of the Surface 3 that takes it almost out of the tablet genre is its 12-inch screen. At a peak resolution of 2160 x 1440, the new screen makes it much easier to use the Surface 3 by giving everything better clarity. Those tiny details you could not read on the Surface 1 or 2 are now crystal clear on the 3, and that makes a huge difference.
Users can still interface with the Surface 3 using its proprietary stylus. While the stylus is a throw-back to the tablet genre, it does add a significant amount of functionality to the Surface 3 that is nice to have.
Microsoft's Grand Windows Plan
The Surface 3 comes loaded with Windows 8.1, but everyone expects it to be very compatible with Microsoft's Windows 10 when the new operating system is released. All Microsoft devices, from the Surface to Windows smartphones, will be able to run on Windows 10.
It is obvious what Microsoft is trying to do with Windows 10 and the Surface. Just as all Apple mobile computing devices can be linked together with a single operating system, so will all of Microsoft's mobile devices. But this is one area where Microsoft still trails Apple in functionality and app compatibility.
The amount of apps available for the Surface 3 is still disappointingly low as Microsoft insists on holding a tight grip on app development. With the rise of the Android OS and the popularity of Apple's mobile devices, Microsoft still has a ways to go in the integrated mobile device area.
All-In-All: A Good Tablet
Because of its size, it is hard to classify the Surface 3 as a tablet. But because of its inability to handle high-end graphics and sound, it still has the functionality of a tablet. That being said, the Surface 3 is definitely a step in the right direction for Microsoft and, if you are planning on buying a tablet that you want to be able to use all of the time, then you should get a Surface 3.
