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Should I wait for the Surface Pro 3 or not?

BerryAl

New Member
Hey guys! I've recently been looking into getting a laptop for university (next September) and I can across the surface pro. I currently own an old macbook and a nexus 7 and I love portable technology, after reading about the Surface Pro 2 I have become slightly obsessed with them, they're just so cool! They're so small and powerful and they just look brilliant, but anyway, I decided I'm going to get one before I go to uni (maybe a bit sooner than then) and was thinking about whether or not I should get the surface pro 2 when I have the money for it (sometime at the end of this year, hopefully) or if I should wait for the surface pro 3 to come out!

My budget is around £1000 give or take a bit, and I would like the get either the 128GB model or the 256GB model. It would probably really bug me to get a brand new tablet only for it to quickly become old technology, so I'm pretty sure I will wait, but when do you guys think the new tablet will be released and do you think it will be even more expensive than the current one? Thanks a bunch! Hope to spend lots of time on here when I finally get my Surface.
 

daniielrp

Active Member
I can't see it being more expensive, if anything may be cheaper (as will the Pro 2's ;) )

I wish I could have had a Pro 2 during uni, instead I had a HP convertible that was alright, but much heavier and no where near as cool!
 

benjitek

Active Member
Wait... Microsoft usually gets things right the 3rd try, not that the SP2/S2 is 'wrong' -- but I'll bet dollars-to-donuts the 3 will be a thinner, sleeker version.
 

jnjroach

Administrator
Staff member
The only thing wrong with the Thinner... Lighter Surface Pro 3 is it will render the ecosystem obsolete especially the docks but also the cases, etc.. I think we'll see a thinner and lighter Surface 3 not sure MS will want to alienate the Enterprise Customers who are replacing laptops with Pro 2's.

As for the 3rd Gen devices, the last 2 were launched in the Fall, Update 2 is slated for August and Threshold is rumored for Spring 2015, so it will be interesting to see what happens.
 

oion

Well-Known Member
Thinner SPro3 honestly sounds like a terrible idea for the reasons Jeff listed. Lighter maybe, with different materials.

If your uni starts in the fall, you could wait until then to see if actual news hit the waves. Or look for a used SPro2 starting now, so there'd be less guilt if a new model does come out late this year (cheaper and being able to use it immediately). But keep in mind that SPro2 had awful supply issues when it was new, so even if 3rd gen is released late this year, you may have a hard time finding one anyway unless MS really wises up about that; something to think about, anyway.
 

kristalsoldier

Well-Known Member
The only thing wrong with the Thinner... Lighter Surface Pro 3 is it will render the ecosystem obsolete especially the docks but also the cases, etc.. I think we'll see a thinner and lighter Surface 3 not sure MS will want to alienate the Enterprise Customers who are replacing laptops with Pro 2's.

As for the 3rd Gen devices, the last 2 were launched in the Fall, Update 2 is slated for August and Threshold is rumored for Spring 2015, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

Are you suggesting that MS will shy away from a thinner Surface Pro 3 because of the ecosystem? I think not. In my opinion, the biggest impediment to a thinner Surface Pro 3 would be the ventilation system. Hopefully, MS will be able to make it lighter though - but even that I am sceptical about.

Your observations about time is indeed interesting! I am also eager to find out how MS will work this out.
 

oion

Well-Known Member
Fleet deployment is a big deal for MS sales, and it helps corporations a whole lot when docks and other accessories are cross-compatible. Our department has 2-3 generations of HP laptops compatible with the same dock, for example. You're thinking as an individual; an IT department has to budget for hundreds and thousands. Backwards compatibility is a major selling point for a lot of things.
 

MarkDau

New Member
Fleet deployment is a big deal for MS sales, and it helps corporations a whole lot when docks and other accessories are cross-compatible. Our department has 2-3 generations of HP laptops compatible with the same dock, for example. You're thinking as an individual; an IT department has to budget for hundreds and thousands. Backwards compatibility is a major selling point for a lot of things.

I see what you are saying but disagree. I think the Surface Pro should (and will) get thinner in its next iteration. Microsoft seems to be very focused on consumer feedback right now, and the thickness/weight is literally one of the few common complaints regarding the SP. Honestly, the only other more common criticism is the price point.

Businesses will still have the option to buy the SP2 and compatible docks I'm sure--and for less, as is the case with SP1 at the moment. I also doubt any company would miss the opportunity to sell an adapter of some sort. :p
 

oion

Well-Known Member
I have to wonder if thinner will introduce more heat problems than it already has, taking into account fan size and placement and necessary battery capacity to power non-optimized traditional desktop applications. Really, I think lighter would be an excellent selling point without necessitating thinner at the same time: more hand-friendly while backwards compatible too. A compromise of sorts.
 

jnjroach

Administrator
Staff member
What I'm saying is part of the success of a device is the accessories available from 3rd parties, making everything that is out now incompatible would be negative with Enterprise Customers. Also the thinner would force them to use "Y" Variants of the Core CPU rather than the "U" Variants which would impact performance. I think we'll see much more innovation on the ARM side then the Intel Side.
 
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