Once again, Microsoft has cut the price of the Surface Pro 3 and is even giving away a free sleeve. Neowin broke the news on the Surface Pro on Tuesday morning.
“It’s becoming something of a regular occurrence for Microsoft to offer discounts on its flagship Surface Pro 3 tablet. Unsurprisingly, the company offered some tasty deals for Black Friday and over Christmas, but similar offers popped up in early February, and again in March. And now, less than a month later, Microsoft is again offering up to $150 off all but the entry-level Core i3 64GB model, and is once more including a free protective sleeve for the tablet.”
Many speculate that this latest sale could mean the Surface Pro 4, which many thought Microsoft would wait to release this fall along with Windows 10, could be coming sooner than people think. Latinos Post talks about the speculation.
“There are expectations that the Surface Pro 4 will be released in July 2015 but Microsoft is said to be withholding the official announcement because it is reportedly waiting for the perfect event where they can unveil the latest model. Tech Radar speculated that the perfect event could be Microsoft’s Build Conference, scheduled on on April 29 – May 1.”
It’s doubtful that the Surface Pro 4 will be released in May — that’s when Microsoft will release the Surface 3, a lower-powered and lower-priced version of the Surface Pro 3. Brent Rose of Gizmodo was able to spend some time with the Surface 3 .
“Overall, my impressions of the Surface 3 were positive. It just feels so much smaller and lighter than the Pro 3 or a typical ultrabook. It still feels big for a tablet, though. Compared to, say, an iPad, Google’s Nexus 9, or Sony’s Xperia tablets, it’s definitely big and heavy. But still you could easily toss it into a backpack and forget it’s there,” Brent Rose said.
CNN Money says the Surface 3 is a tiny PC that gets the job done.
“Microsoft’s new PC-tablet is just a hair bigger and heavier than Apple’s iPad Air, yet it is a full PC that runs all the Windows software you’re accustomed to — including iTunes, Chrome, Office, and the slew of applications your company makes you download to work from home. Combine that with the fact that the Surface 3 has a beautiful screen, day-long battery life, booming speakers, a stand-out design — and costs just $628 — and you have a device that would have been unthinkable in 2014.”
Perhaps Microsoft is putting all their attention on the Surface 3 now, and waiting to perfect the Surface Pro 4. Even though the Surface Pro 3 has been a big hit, Microsoft still needs to prove that the Surface Pro, like the iPhone, is here to stay.
[Image by Joe Raedle/Getty Images]