March 31, 2015 — Microsoft Corp. is introducing a new Surface, the Surface 3. Like Surface Pro 3, it’s a tablet that can replace your laptop but is thinner, lighter and even more affordable. Powerful and efficient, Surface 3 is optimized to run full Windows and Office and features long battery life. The ability to run Windows apps and the versatile pen experience — great for taking notes or marking documents — make Surface 3 ideal for students, schools and anyone looking for a portable device to get things done. Starting at just RM1879 (~US$ 529), Surface 3 packs performance and value into an elegant, lightweight design. “Surface 3 brings what customers love about Surface Pro 3 to more people, delivering the premium design and productivity of Surface in a more affordable device,” said Panos Panay, corporate vice president, Microsoft Surface. “We’ve taken everything we learned making Surface Pro 3 and poured that innovation into this newest Surface. It’s beautiful, versatile, powerful and productive, and our customers are going to love what it lets them do.” Productivity and portability Powered by the new quad-core Intel® Atom™ x7 processor, Surface 3 is quick and responsive but designed to maximize efficiency with up to 10 hours of video-playback battery life. A range of storage and memory configurations gives people choice in power and capacity. The beautiful 10.8-inch ClearType HD multi-touch display featuring 3:2 aspect ratio, stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio-enhanced sound, and the elegant and durable magnesium design are just a few of the benefits of Surface 3 that customers will recognize from Surface Pro 3. The three-position kickstand is ideal for using Surface 3 while working at a desk, sitting on a couch or holding in the palm of a hand as a natural writing surface. Free upgrade to Windows 10 To help people get even more done, Surface 3 with full Windows 8.1 and can be upgraded to Windows 10 for free when available. They also come complete with a one-year subscription of Microsoft Office 365 Personal, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus OneDrive cloud storage. Built for business And with Surface 3, businesses and schools will now enjoy a broader array of options. Even before its availability, educational institutions such as University of Phoenix and companies such as Prada, BASF and Emirates have committed to purchasing and deploying Surface 3 across their organizations because they see the value Surface 3 can bring to their employees and students. “Having explored multiple platforms, we are confident that the Surface 3 meets the expectations of our experienced and professional flight crew,” said Captain Alan Stealey, Divisional Senior Vice President, Flight Operations, Emirates. “The device’s innovative design and functionality proves to be the choice for our EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) initiative.” Surface accessories Surface 3 can be paired with new accessories: Surface 3 Type Cover is offered in a variety of colors and features an improved trackpad and responsive keyset for fast, accurate typing, alongside four vibrant Surface Pen colors — silver, black, blue and red. The Surface 3 Docking Station lets people easily connect to an external monitor and all their desktop devices, and Surface 3’s full-size USB 3.0 port, Mini DisplayPort, microSD™ card reader and Micro USB charging port make it compatible with the Surface Pro line of adapters and ready for quick and easy connections to a variety of accessories. Pre-order and availability Surface 3 and new accessories will be available for pre-order in Malaysia starting April 13 at select partner retailers. Commercial customers should contact their authorized reseller for pre-order information. Starting May 5 through those same retailers and resellers, customers can begin purchasing Surface 3, Surface 3 Type Cover, Surface Pen, Surface 3 Docking Station and Surface 3 Screen Protector, with availability in all 26 markets by May 7. Specifications Operating system : Windows 8.1 Exterior Dimensions : 10.51 x 7.36 x 0.34 inches (267 x 187 x 8.7 millimeters) Weight : 1.37 pounds (622 grams) Casing : Magnesium Color : Silver Physical buttons : Volume, Power, Home Storage : 64 GB, 128 GB Display Screen : 10.8-inch ClearType Full HD Plus Display Resolution : 1920 x 1280 Aspect ratio : 3:2 Touch : 10-point multi-touch Pen input: Surface Pen (sold separately) CPU : Quad-core Intel® Atom™ x7-Z8700 processor (2MB cache, 1.6 GHz with Intel Burst™ technology up to 2.4 GHz) Network : Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 4.0 low energy Battery : Up to 10 hours of video-playback Cameras and A/V : 3.5 megapixel 1080p front-facing camera, 8.0 megapixel 1080p rear-facing camera with auto-focus, Microphone. Stereo speakers with Dolby® Audio-enhanced sound Ports : Full-size USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, microSD™ card reader, Micro USB charging port (passes power and USB 2.0 data), Headset jack, Cover port Sensors : Ambient light sensor, Proximity sensor, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Magnetometer, Digital compass Power supply : 13W Micro USB power supply Pre-loaded One-year subscription to Office 365 Personal, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote OneDrive cloud storage Warranty : One-year limited hardware warranty Pricing 2 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage : RM1879 (~US$529) 4 GB of RAM, 128 GB of storage : RM2249 (~US$619)
I've read the press release elsewhere that there are also plans to release an LTE model... but since there's no mention of it here, I guess Microsoft Malaysia is gonna skimp out on that one... T__T
