Microsoft Knocking $100 Off Surface Pro 3

I wonder if this means Broadwell versions soon? I'll pay full price + wait for that.
 
Trimlock said:
I wonder if this means Broadwell versions soon? I'll pay full price + wait for that.
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I wouldn't expect new Surface models before the launch of Windows 10 which many are saying will be this summer. They may decouple Windows 10 but I imagine Windows 10 is going to play a big role in the next Surface Pro devices.
 
http://winsupersite.com/hardware/microsoft-now-offering-trade-program-surface-devices
Kaitian said:
They took it away last week and now they put it back again.
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The difference this time being that it applies to the i3 model as well. It has been interesting how frequently Microsoft has been doing these SP3 promotions. Not sure why they haven't just permanently lowered the price since the holiday season began but they seem to be trying to squeeze everything they can out of SP3 sales. They are now even offering a trade in plan for all existing Surface devices though the process in cumbersome to say the least: http://winsupersite.com/hardware/microsoft-now-offering-trade-program-surface-devices
 
heatlesssun said:
http://winsupersite.com/hardware/microsoft-now-offering-trade-program-surface-devices

The difference this time being that it applies to the i3 model as well. It has been interesting how frequently Microsoft has been doing these SP3 promotions. Not sure why they haven't just permanently lowered the price since the holiday season began but they seem to be trying to squeeze everything they can out of SP3 sales. They are now even offering a trade in plan for all existing Surface devices though the process in cumbersome to say the least: http://winsupersite.com/hardware/microsoft-now-offering-trade-program-surface-devices
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Wow, that might be worse than Gamestop trade in prices.
 
Trimlock said:
I wonder if this means Broadwell versions soon? I'll pay full price + wait for that.
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It's gonna be awhile then. With that thinking you might as well wait for Skylake which promises much better power efficiency. That and theres a good chance Cannonlake will be a LONG way out if the Broadwell die shrink was any indicator.
 
they make killer desktop replacements, we use them all over at work
 
Yeah, sucks for me. They've had multiple sales in the US but not north of the border. I've been waiting to pick one up but there hasn't been a sale in the past couple months. There was one over Christmas but that's the last time they had one up here. I should have pulled the trigger then but balked. Now I'm paying the price in waiting a long time.
 
heatlesssun said:
http://winsupersite.com/hardware/microsoft-now-offering-trade-program-surface-devices

The difference this time being that it applies to the i3 model as well. It has been interesting how frequently Microsoft has been doing these SP3 promotions. Not sure why they haven't just permanently lowered the price since the holiday season began but they seem to be trying to squeeze everything they can out of SP3 sales. They are now even offering a trade in plan for all existing Surface devices though the process in cumbersome to say the least: http://winsupersite.com/hardware/microsoft-now-offering-trade-program-surface-devices
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Those are god awful trade in prices. You can get 100-150 more than that (depending on condition) on Ebay for a fully working device.

That being said, the headphone jack on mine is kind of flaky lately so if I ever do want to upgrade I really might take advantage of that....
 
If I were in the market for any laptop/tablet, this is the one I'd get.

My work provides a laptop though, and unfortunately they choose it for me, so I ahve some silly aluminum HP ultrabook that looks like a mac...

Cant justify spending the money on a latop/tablet of my own when I have the use of this for free...
 
My wife is wanting a Surface Pro 3 to replace her 7 year old laptop -- after much research, it's what she decide she wanted, even picked out a good keyboard for it (she'a a writer). We travel a lot, and she wanted something smaller, lighter, and versatile.
We got some "hands on" time at BB, she really liked it. Like hell we're buying from them tho... heh.
 
Do these things have a decent docking station available to them yet?

I mean a real one, like the Dell Gold standard of docking stations, not one of those silly USB ones?

dell_latitude_e6400_docking2_06.jpg
 
ND40oz said:
It's certainly priced like a Dell docking station, works a tad differently but looks every bit as user friendly.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/productID.300191900
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Nice,

Last I checked the Surface line didn't have these available.

Would love one of these for work. Too bad I always work for large enough companies that they have exclusive corporate wide deals with a single hardware vendor, and have standard models with standard drive images corporate wide, so I never have a say in what I wind up with.

Current company is the first in my career (9 companies) that isn't an all dell shop (instead we are an all HP shop) I have to say, I would have preferred Dell over HP, but would much rather have a Ms surface + dock.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041434571 said:
Nice,

Last I checked the Surface line didn't have these available.

Would love one of these for work. Too bad I always work for large enough companies that they have exclusive corporate wide deals with a single hardware vendor, and have standard models with standard drive images corporate wide, so I never have a say in what I wind up with.

Current company is the first in my career (9 companies) that isn't an all dell shop (instead we are an all HP shop) I have to say, I would have preferred Dell over HP, but would much rather have a Ms surface + dock.
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A little disappointing the only monitor connectivity comes from a single mini-DP connector requiring daisy chaining or an MST hub to do multi-monitor support. Considering how most people in offices wind up with multiple monitors (grab an old last gen monitor no one is using and hook it up to new computer with new monitor) some backwards compatibility would have been nice. Docking stations certainly don't need analogue VGA ports anymore, but some DVI ports would have been nice, and at the very least including multiple display port connections to avoid the need for daisy chaining or MST hubs...

For business compatibility, a VGA port on the Surface itself would be advisable too, to allow full conference room projector compatibility without an adapter. (ain't nobody got time for adapters)
 
Zarathustra[H];1041434588 said:
For business compatibility, a VGA port on the Surface itself would be advisable too, to allow full conference room projector compatibility without an adapter. (ain't nobody got time for adapters)
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A VGA port is thicker than the SP3 so I don't think that's practical.
 
heatlesssun said:
A VGA port is thicker than the SP3 so I don't think that's practical.
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That is incorrect.

The SP3 is 9.1mm thick.

A VGA port is 7mm thick.

I've seen some good implementations that do away with the surrounds and screw holes, so it can be kept to that 7mm height quite nicely, and if they are worried about it being unsightly, it can be covered with a body molded cap.

I mean, it's not a huge deal, you CAN carry a miniDP to VGA adapter in your bag, but if they are looking to make inroads into business use, a VGA port for projectors would have been a good gesture.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041434654 said:
That is incorrect.

The SP3 is 9.1mm thick.

A VGA port is 7mm thick.

I've seen some good implementations that do away with the surrounds and screw holes, so it can be kept to that 7mm height quite nicely, and if they are worried about it being unsightly, it can be covered with a body molded cap.

I mean, it's not a huge deal, you CAN carry a miniDP to VGA adapter in your bag, but if they are looking to make inroads into business use, a VGA port for projectors would have been a good gesture.
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What about the male connector on a VGA cable? Just upon visual inspection of comparing a male VGA connector to the thickness of the SP3 the problem is obvious unless the port extended out of the chassis of the tablet.
 
heatlesssun said:
What about the male connector on a VGA cable? Just upon visual inspection of comparing a male VGA connector to the thickness of the SP3 the problem is obvious unless the port extended out of the chassis of the tablet.
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The 7mm is just for the connection portion itself, and I have seen them successfully implemented this way.

If you add the metal surrounds, we are talking another 0.5 to 1mm, and if you want an additional trof and surround around that, to hold the male VGA connector in place, even more space.

I'm just saying it is doable, and I have seen it done. (in fact they do something similar to this on my work HP Ultrabook, which has similar thickness constraints on the non lid side, and it seems to be holding up quite well.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041434721 said:
I'm just saying it is doable, and I have seen it done. (in fact they do something similar to this on my work HP Ultrabook, which has similar thickness constraints on the non lid side, and it seems to be holding up quite well.
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I've discussed this subject before which is what prompted me to do a visual comparison of a the male end of a VGA cable to the SP3 and it's plainly obvious that it can't work inside the chassis. If can you point out a device that does have a VGA port and does it an a thickness of 9.1 mm, tapered designs don't count, I'd love to see it.

VGA has been obsolete for over 15 years. While I understand it would be a nice to have for legacy devices supporting something that out of date in a leading edge mobile design isn't worth it.
 
heatlesssun said:
I've discussed this subject before which is what prompted me to do a visual comparison of a the male end of a VGA cable to the SP3 and it's plainly obvious that it can't work inside the chassis. If can you point out a device that does have a VGA port and does it an a thickness of 9.1 mm, tapered designs don't count, I'd love to see it.

VGA has been obsolete for over 15 years. While I understand it would be a nice to have for legacy devices supporting something that out of date in a leading edge mobile design isn't worth it.
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VGA is NOT obsolete, its deprecated.
 
heatlesssun said:
VGA has been obsolete for over 15 years. While I understand it would be a nice to have for legacy devices supporting something that out of date in a leading edge mobile design isn't worth it.
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If it's worth it to your customers, then it is worth it.

Computers get replaced every few years, but projectors and hard wired cables in conference rooms last A LOT longer. I have yet to see even a single conference room at any company I have worked at or visited where basic VGA isn't the ONLY option. I ahve seen plenty of setups where the projector died, and the new projector supports DVI/HDMI (and in some cases even DP) but the VGA wire was already in the wall, so that was all that was hooked up.

For the home user VGA is no longer needed, and for a desktop sitting at an enterprise users desk, VGA isn't really needed anymore, but for laptops that get carried into conference rooms the lack of a VGA port would be a nuisance for the end user. Not insurmountable, as you can always carry an adapter, but dealing with forgotten adapters, delaying meetings, etc. is a pain, and it would be better if included.

I use the VGA port in my laptop several times a day at work. I can't remember the last time I've used a VGA port anywhere else though.

I took another look at my HP, and you are right, it isn't implemented as I thought. (I usually just shove the cable in the back without looking) I am 100% certain I have seen thin VGA implementations with just the 7mm core, but I can't remember where right now. It is certainly possible, especially since the SP3 has fat bezels, so the screen shouldn't get in the way.

All that being said, it isn't even clear if MS Is going after the business user with this design. If they aren't, then the omission of the VGA port is a no brainer, as it simplifies the design. The dock really should allow for at least two external screens without an MST hub though...
 
Zarathustra[H];1041434820 said:
I took another look at my HP, and you are right, it isn't implemented as I thought. (I usually just shove the cable in the back without looking) I am 100% certain I have seen thin VGA implementations with just the 7mm core, but I can't remember where right now. It is certainly possible, especially since the SP3 has fat bezels, so the screen shouldn't get in the way.
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Here are a few examples:

http://media.boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/0910092-600x450.jpg

x4.jpg


ddbb4334e2.jpg
 
Zarathustra[H];1041434820 said:
All that being said, it isn't even clear if MS Is going after the business user with this design. If they aren't, then the omission of the VGA port is a no brainer, as it simplifies the design. The dock really should allow for at least two external screens without an MST hub though...
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The Surface Pro line is CLEARLY targeted for mobile productive and professional use, indeed that the whole purpose of the Surface Pro line to date. A tablet that can replace your laptop. Of course it can't for everyone, but it can for many, especially those that like the idea of having a device that is 2.5lbs in total weight including the Type Cover that works as both a laptop and tablet.

I don't think that most who looking to carry something this size are thinking too much about an included VGA. I'm not saying it wouldn't be a nice to have, but not at the expense of the mobility of this device. While not ideal it's not like an adapter isn't an option for those that do.

Zarathustra[H];1041434831 said:
Here are a few examples:
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That design can't be used in the Surface Pro 3 as the plug now changes the overall thickness of the device, a device that's meant to lay perfectly flat as a tablet.

If one needs a or wants a laptop without the need for the tablet abilities of the Surface Pro 3, that's probably a better choice for most.
 
ND40oz said:
It's certainly priced like a Dell docking station, works a tad differently but looks every bit as user friendly.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/productID.300191900
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I use one daily. It works excellent. However, I do use my old Lenovo dock as I can run 3 monitors off of it with a single USB3 cable to the Surface dock. Magnetic side to place the stylus, sides open to slide the Surface in and out (less wear and tear on the connector). Never had an issue with it. Unlike my Lenovo docks that have a lot more parts. They had crap connections half the time, or they'd break. The Surface one is great.
 
Ur_Mom said:
I use one daily. It works excellent. However, I do use my old Lenovo dock as I can run 3 monitors off of it with a single USB3 cable to the Surface dock. Magnetic side to place the stylus, sides open to slide the Surface in and out (less wear and tear on the connector). Never had an issue with it. Unlike my Lenovo docks that have a lot more parts. They had crap connections half the time, or they'd break. The Surface one is great.
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How does the display output over USB work from a performance perspective?

I mean, I don't do any gaming or anything at work, but I'd imagine USB would be rather restrictive from that perspective.
 
I own a surface pro, pro 2, and pro 3 (you know how it trickles down in a family). ;-) I'm all for saving a few bucks and upgrading that spro 128 to a core i5 spro 3 128gb, but I'm not sending my unit out to wait for their determination. If this could be done at the Microsoft store, I'd be there upgrading instead of here responding to this thread!.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041434943 said:
How does the display output over USB work from a performance perspective?

I mean, I don't do any gaming or anything at work, but I'd imagine USB would be rather restrictive from that perspective.
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You could use the USB 3.0 port, and I hear it works great. But really, you would probably be using the displayport on the Surface for multi-monitor.

I'm just glad that the SP3 dock has an actual working gigabit ethernet port on it. The SP2 dock claimed to have gigabit ethernet, but it only worked up to 100Mb/s.
 
tesfaye said:
If this could be done at the Microsoft store, I'd be there upgrading instead of here responding to this thread!.
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Does seems a little odd. Of course the trade in values are low but that would be somewhat offset by the convenience of simply walking into a store and getting instant credit.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041434588 said:
For business compatibility, a VGA port on the Surface itself would be advisable too, to allow full conference room projector compatibility without an adapter. (ain't nobody got time for adapters)
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Don't put a dinosaur VGA port on a modern device. Upgrade your dinosaur projector or add a wireless screen cast option to it.
 
mi7chy said:
Don't put a dinosaur VGA port on a modern device. Upgrade your dinosaur projector or add a wireless screen cast option to it.
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I think this is how you have to approach it. Critical design elements of the Surface Pro are its thickness and weight, much more so than a standard clamshell ultrabook. VGA simply wasn't designed for devices of the SP3's thickness and I suspect that the Surface Pro will become thinner in future versions.
 
I wouldn't put an actual VGA port on there but I would put a type of VGA port on there, either through TB, HDMI or DP.

I would also hope they stopped making it thinner.
 
Zarathustra[H];1041434588 said:
For business compatibility, a VGA port on the Surface itself would be advisable too, to allow full conference room projector compatibility without an adapter. (ain't nobody got time for adapters)
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I don't think MS's target audience needs ports from 1987 in their brand new 2014 device. You may notice it also lacks a DVD-ROM drive and IDE ports.

The Surface Pro 3 supports wireless projecting.
 
Trimlock said:
I would also hope they stopped making it thinner.
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There is a "Keeping up with the Joneses" factor here. Thinner is generally perceived as better and while it gets a bit silly it can't be ignored. The thinness of the SP3 might have gone overboard and adding a little thickness for better cooling might have been a good tradeoff but this wasn't the first time device thinness has taken precedence over cooling.
 
SuperSubZero said:
The Surface Pro 3 supports wireless projecting.
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I've had a couple of cheap Miracast receivers that just never worked well. I picked up the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter (wonderful name! /s) to try with my SP3 and was pleasantly surprised. It's not going to replace a wired connection but it's great for playing video, doing presentations, picture shows, etc. The Microsoft adapter is on the pricey side at $60 but it works much better with all my devices than the cheapos I wasted money on.
 
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