Microsoft has travelled a rocky road in its attempt to get its own modern tablet to a point where it could be taken seriously. The first two Surface models were nice machines, but somehow they never quite hit the mark. A large part of that may have been the confused message that Microsoft was sending about what the device actually was: It is a PC? Is it a tablet? With their small form factor, 16×9 screen and not quite right keyboard covers, the first two Surface models never satisfied either form, and as such, never took off. The other issue of course is with Apple doing such a good job in convincing consumers that their way is the right way, and Google doing similarly with its alternative open-sourced model with Android tablets, Microsoft unequivocally dropped the ball on its message in trying to wedge itself in to this market.
And so comes the Surface Pro 3. It’s an impressive machine. With powerful innards, a more useful form factor, and accessories that provide greater flexibility in use, Microsoft may have finally nailed their model tablet offering on the head. They’ve created a device that is as powerful as a laptop, can be set up to be used as a laptop with its far improved type covers and kickstand, but whose screen can be detached so it can be used as a tablet. On this last point, the change to a 3:2 aspect ratio on this device was right on the money. After all, a 16×9 screen may work well in landscape mode for watching video, but it’s terrible in portrait mode with its elongated form. The 3:2 aspect ratio make the Surface Pro 3 great as a reading and reviewing device in portrait mode, something I’m sure the designers at Microsoft picked up from their Apple counterparts (Apple was initially criticized for giving the iPad a 4×3 aspect ratio, but time and usage experience has come up on their side). The specs for the Surface Pro 3 are equally impressive, akin to powerful laptop computers from Apple and other PC makers alike.
What isn’t so impressive about the Surface Pro 3 is the price. Beginning at $979 (AUD) for the base model, all the way up to $2279 (AUD) for the top of the line model, it’s not the most affordable device in the world. It’s more expensive than iPad (generally), and is more in line with Apple’s Macbook Air/Pro laptop range. On the surface (no pun intended), it would appear that most consumers may not find this an exciting or good economic proposition. However, when you consider that the Surface Pro 3 has been designed in such a way as to be the one device to replace both your laptop and tablet (ie the ultimate 2-in-1), then suddenly it may appear to be a more attractive option. When you add the cost of a laptop and a tablet together, it will cost more than a Surface Pro 3, making buying the Surface Pro 3 a seeming no-brainer.
Can Microsoft sell this message however? That’s the 64 million dollar question. History to date has suggested that they haven’t done a very good job of marketing their hardware (all the way back to the Zune days, anyone remember that?). And given the Surface models to date have arrived in the market with a loud thud, Microsoft may need to go in a bit harder to convince consumers that their way is the right way. Someone like me, a tech enthusiast, can get easily excited by the Surface Pro 3 because I know exactly what I’m looking at and whether or not it will work. However, someone who just wants a computer that gets stuff done for them and couldn’t care less if it comes with type covers, kickstands or i7 processors, will probably not see the value in the Surface Pro 3. Which means despite Microsoft’s best efforts in the engineering space to make a fantastic hybrid device, it may not catch on. I hope for their sake, the marketing department comes to the party with an appropriate sales campaign to get this device out there and selling. After all, the Surface Pro 3 is worthy of that attention and the sales.
A final point to make about the Surface Pro 3 is that it may not be necessarily aimed at consumers. Microsoft’s largest market is in the corporate and enterprise spaces. With employees driving demand for smartphones, tablets and laptops to be part of their daily IT requirements, companies large and small may be looking for an option to reduce costs both in purchasing and in maintenance. A powerful hybrid device such as the Surface Pro 3 would certainly fit the bill nicely in this regard. Not only would the overall cost of this device be cheaper for companies than buying separate laptops and tablets, it would also work nicely within the Windows ecosystem that most corporate and enterprise companies have already invested in. Apple may own the consumer space, but Microsoft is still king of the corporate and enterprise space. As such, the Surface Pro 3 may just be what the doctor ordered for many of these companies looking to save costs and simplify their IT strategies, while simultaneously keeping their employees up to date with the latest hardware and software. We are living in a mobile world. Employees know that, and they want the devices they’re given for work to be mobile. The Surface Pro 3, in this environment, may just be the right device for the right time.
Microsoft has created a wonderful, powerful device in the Surface Pro 3. I’d love to have one, but I can’t justify the expense (as a consumer). It’s a device that, if marketed properly by Microsoft, may just give them the traction they need to move successfully forward with their PC/tablet hybrid strategy that will contrast well with Apple’s hardware offerings and Google’s services platform. It also may be just enough for corporate types to pull the trigger on mass adoption in their enterprises. The engineers at Microsoft have done their job, now their sales team needs to do theirs; if they do, Microsoft may have finally landed their modern mobile device strategy despite some initial stutters with Windows 8 and the first two Surface models. Let’s hope they can do it!
Watch FiST Chat 167: Microsoft Launches Surface Pro 3 for more on this topic.
